South African Breweries Essay Example

South African Breweries Essay Example South African Breweries Essay South African Breweries Essay In 2001 South African Breweries (SAB) finds itself as the fifth largest brewer in the world. SAB has brewing operations in 21 different countries around the world with an annual output of 77 million hectolitres of beer. South African Breweries also holds a chain of 77 Southern Sun hotels throughout Southern Africa and also owns three casinos.( sabmiller.com/ ) South African Breweries (SAB) has grown on the basis of its strength in developing markets, first in Africa and then in other parts of the world. SAB has become one of the major beer and beverage companies in the world. It was registered in London by a syndicate of investors from the UK and South Africa in 1895. Castle Large was launched in Johannesburg in 1898 and in same year SAB was listed on the London stock exchange. In South Africa, SAB leads the beer market with Castl Larger. However, its wider portfolio included: * SAB: beer- south Africa and continental Africa with breweries for both larger and sorghum and brands such as Castle, Carling Black Lable, hansa Pilsner, Lion, Amstel, Heineken, Hoftbrau, Dakota Ice and 24 other brands. * SABI Asia: breweries in china and India; with 18 major beer brands in China and purified water and Soya milk. * SAB Europe: breweries in the Canary Island, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia and brands including Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Radegast, Keller, Ursus, Redds, lech and Tyskie. * Other beverage interests: butting plants in Africa of spring water, soft drinks, juices and sparkling water, including the Coca-Cola, Schweppes, and Appetiser range. * Southern Sun hotels (77 hotels throughout Southern Africa) and 3 casinos. ( Jonson, G Scholes, K, 2002 PG 898) The 1998 annual report of SAB explained the Groups strategy: SABs International focus has been on countries in which it believes it could use it expertise, which has been gained over 100 yeas in south Africa, to develop beer markets in emerging economies. SAB has invested significantly in its core business, and has commenced brewing operation in a future 5 African countries, 3 Chinese provinces, and 4 Eastern European countries since 1995. SAB intends to continue to protect and further develop its South Africa operation This start with upgrading quality and consistency to create a beer for which people are prepared to pay more and which can give us a healthy profit margin. Then comes improvement to marketing and distribution. Next we improve productivity and capacity South Africa was the original market for SAB and remains centrally important. However, here, the company had experienced mixed fortunes. In 2000 it had suffered a2 per cent decline in volume, but could report an increase in its margins as a result of continuing productivity initiatives. The main reason for the downturn was the domestic situation in South Africa, and in particular a switch in consumer spending. The proportion of disposable income which the average south African spends on beverage and tobacco has fallen steadily since 1992.the normalisation theory suggests that this shift in consumer expenditure will continue as a higher proportion of discretionary expenditure moves from immediate gratification to self-improvement. According to the SABs, in the meantime, we continue to work hard to increase our market share in the total south African liquor market by making beer the alcoholic drink of first choice for more people primarily through better channel segmentation, distribution and promotions. Our percentage share of the total liquor market is in the mid-50s, so there is scope for future increase. SABI operated in 13 other countries in Africa. In many African countries, SABs South African brands, particularly Castle Larger, are already known and are used by SABIA is currently pursuing a strategy to make Castel Larger the first pan-African beer. Castel larger is currently brewed in 10 African countries. SABIAs strategy is to invest in African countries with lo per capital beer consumption but where SAB believes there is growth potential. SABIA have pursued a policy of expansion into other African states by acquisition and by establishing Greenfield breweries China is second largest beer market in the world in terms of consumption and is currently growing at over 10 per cent per annum. SAB now sells over eight million hectolitres; last year we grew by 38 per cent. China is a fragmented market of around 200 million hectolitres a year, which vast potential for SAB the aim in china is to develop the quality end of the mainstream brand sector. This allow SAB to keep the cost of capital expenditure down and avoid the expensive marketing programmes characteristic of area such as Beijing and Shanghai, where competition is intense. SABIEs strategy has been to invest in countries whose markets are developing from state-run economies to market economies, which typically leads to increased consumer demand. Due in part to the previous state ownership of many breweries and associated business, there had been a lack of capital investment in plans and distribution system, and many of the working practices were inefficient and outdated. SABIE seeks to identify existing operations where, by upgrading brewery and distribution infrastructures and augmenting the operations with SABIE management skills, it can improve marketing, product quality, and productivity so as to increase market share and profitability. Operations in each country are run autonomously SAB completed renovation and construction of its brewery at Kaluga, south west of Moscow, in just eight months and launched its own brand Golden Barrel. This brand has now provided such a great success that the Kaluga brewerys capacity is being expanded from 480,000 to 1.4 million hectolitres is planned. In addition to Golden Barrel brand our portfolio will include a number of foreign brands brewed under licence, such as Staropraman, Holsten Premium and Miller Genuine Draft. In 1999 SAB merged the two beer companies which it controlled jointly with Euro Agro Centrum to create a single company Kompania Piwowarska SAB, bewaring three Polish brand this merger enabled SAB to create a unified brand portfolio, increase productivity, and make saving on aspects of the business ranging from 24 hour operations to distribution synergies. In Hungary SAB had well-established brands, including Dreher, but the market was fiercely competitive and there had been a considerable switch away from alcoholic drink and a consequent decline in beer consumption. SAB had reduced its production capacity in 1999 by closing one of its two breweries and by 2000 was in the process of reducing its distribution centres from 18 to 9. Many commentators believed that for a brewery of its size SAB needed to have a major brand in developed markets. It had tired to do so. It had attempted to acquire bass brewers but this was taken by Interbrew of Belgium. Kronenbourg had been acquired by Scottish Newcastle. And it was known that ASB was on the lookout for such a major brand. In recent years SAB has committed significant resources both to international acquisitions and to the reconstruction of acquired business. SAB intended to continue to protect and further develop its SA operations, while investing for growth in its international beer business, where a profitable base, with critical mass in selected developing markets and regions, has now been achieved. Incremental growth, both organic and through acquisition, is being pursued aggressively. It also SAB gave an attentiona to the e-commerce marketing by creating a web site with Microsoft Company. The SAB acquisition of the US brand Miller may create an opportunity for marketing its established brands in the worlds largest market, but it has also been necessary to consolidate the position of the famous names in local markets. Hence the creation of the Castle lager Web site (www.castlelager.co.za). Flexibility was just one concern for SAB, says Warren. The Castle lager site is both interactive users can submit their own pictures for snap competitions, for example and transactional. A number of Castle-brand merchandise products can be ordered via the site. Another advantage for SAB is the depth of Microsoft skills among their own staff, as well as the obvious ease with which Content Management Server integrates with the companys existing Microsoft server products. The strategic position that SAB has chosen to follow is to continue to protect and further develop its South African operations, whilst investing for growth in its international beer business, where a profitable base, with critical mass in selected developing markets and regions has been achieved, incremental growth, both organic and through acquisitions is being pursued aggressively.( Johnson, G Scholes, K ,2002 PG 898) South African Breweries has chosen to follow an aggressive strategic business plan in its overseas ventures, based on market expansion. SAB takes a share in a brewery with a local partner and whilst retaining the brand, transforms the business by upgrading the quality and consistency of the beer, for which people are prepared to pay more, thus giving a healthy profit margin. Once SAB has acquired an initial local strong hold they then advance into regions beyond the brewerys original catchment area. They continue to build initial mass in the region and progress over time to a national basis. Many believe that for a Brewery the size of South African Breweries and with such international presence the company needs to have a major brand in the developed markets. Whilst in South Africa there is a strong presence of the Beer, Castle lager and of other such alcoholic fruit juices, there is little brand recognition in countries such as Europe or China. SAB has attempted in the past to acquire a leading brand but has failed. They had attempted to acquire Bass Brewers but this was taken by Interbrew of Belgium, Kronenbourg had been acquired by Scottish Newcastle. The directors of SAB believed that the listing of south African Breweries on the London Stock Exchange would put SAB in a strong position to pursue its strategy of growth by giving the group greater access to world capital markets and providing it with the financial resources and flexibility to pursue this strategy in an effective and competitive manner.( Jonson, G Scholes, K, 2002 PG 898) South African Breweries concentrates its targeting on the mainstream, rather than the premium beer market. There are concerns in parts of Africa that the castle brand is insufficiently differentiated and was caught in the middle. Premium brands such as Heineken or Amstel are not much more expensive then Castle larger, whilst Sorghum beer, often drunk in townships was a good deal cheaper and positioned Castle as a premium beer in relation to it. South African Breweries already has an established portfolio of businesses across the world (excluding new ventures with Miller and central America). There has been volume growth and improved margins in South Africa, Europe, Africa and Asia. South African Breweries must therefore, improve the promotional aspect of their company if they are to see increased profits. SAB is struggling to achieve a perfect correlation between price and quality as the cost of raw materials is becoming greater and they have encountered increased energy and selling costs. sabmiller.com/results/annual2003/index.asp SAB could continue to operate as separate business units across the world with different brands, different niche markets and different marketing plans or they could integrate the business into a single organisation with a well-differentiated brand. They would then have to create divisions around the target markets (e.g. geographically) or centred on consumer groups (e.g. by age group). Whatever the strategy South African Breweries chooses to adopt they need to identify the bases of competitive advantage, which will arise from an understanding of both markets and customers. South African Breweries needs to understand what a particular customer requires from their product and how they differ between segments. For example, the Castle Larger was poorly differentiated in parts of Africa. The beer didnt hold the prestige that some of the more quality beers did such as Heineken or Amstel and was much more expensive then the cheaper beer Sorghum that was drunk in many townships. South African Breweries needs to be able to predict possible scenarios in the emerging market for at least 5-10 years time, sharing and debating these scenarios improves organisational learning by making managers more perceptive about the forces in the business environment and what is really important.( Jonson, G Scholes, K, 2002 PG 107). There is no point in just waiting for a future event to happen and then implementing a strategy South African Breweries needs to be aware that the average beer drinker is becoming more fashion conscious. According to a report by Audience selection by Mintel Reports in the UK, this millennium 55% of the 18-24 year olds expected to be drinking more than usual. Research has shown that the 18-34 year old age groups share of purchasing beer has grown from 71% in 1997 to 85% in 1999, which again emphasises how critical the brewers advertising and imagery must be in this sector. Todays generations are growing up in a larger-orientated environment which means the shift to larger should continue in the long term.( Mintel International Group LTD, 2003). South African Breweries should adopt they must develop a strong business plan comprising of five key stages. Which are; Segmentation of the market, develop a strong marketing mix concentrating on the 4ps, product, price, promotion and place. PESTEL Analysis of the macro-environment, political, economic, sociological, technological, ecological and legal, recognise the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities (SWOT) of the company, predict Future scenarios and market trends Beer drinkers purchase frequently and quickly becomes brand loyal switching only when there is a more competitively priced product or promotion. SAB needs to step up the brand image especially in continental Europe and the United Kingdom where the company is still relatively unknown. SAB needs to think carefully about where they are going to sell their product, supermarkets, off-licences, the Internet, Wholesalers. They have to be aware that selling in supermarkets is extremely competitive and from time to time they will have to run promotions. SAB must understand that here in the UK a rule of thumb is that at least à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1million per year is required to achieve impact in a national advertising campaign.( Jobber D, 2001, PG 19) South African Breweries should choose to follow the hybrid strategy. The success of this strategy will be evident when the company is able to deliver enhanced value in terms of customer needs, whilst also having a cost base that permits low prices and is sufficient for reinvestment to maintain and develop bases of differentiation. SAB is already a worldwide organisation with a growing presence. This strategy would work well for the company if they are able to achieve much greater volumes then the competition, the low selling prices will be offset. The hybrid strategy also works very well with entry into new markets. As SAB has a strong history of foreign acquisitions this will help them ultimately take share, divert the attention of the competitor, and establish a foothold from which they could move forward. (Jonson, G Scholes, K, 2002, PG 328) SAB is not yet developed in the majority developed countries or created international brands, SAB Miller needs to create an international brand after the several mergers and acquisitions it has done. The African heritage could be considered as a weakness for SAB Miller SAB has been following the acquisition strategy for many of years, to be able to expand geographically and also diversify its operations in different sectors. Although, we are assuming that SAB has been able to generate a high rate of retained earnings and/or access to debt agreements with financial institutions, the ability to improve the marketing and distribution channels of its acquired businesses, underline the financial power of SAB. Since the mission of the group is to be a world class manufacturer and deliver high quality beer, the strategy used by SAB is appropriate. SAB has been able to gain a significant market share and improve its quality by not only acquiring different companies around the globe, but by having a decentralized marketing and sales group within each country. This strategy has also helped it to increase the economies of scale by effectively utilizing its capacity and productive methods. SAB, has been using its resources and capabilities as effectively as possible in order to follow and attain its strategies SAB has achieved to establish a global business network. By doing so, the company increases its turnover and its profits, which without doubt satisfies stakeholders expectations. Thats why they should support the pursue of the strategy even if they feel insecure about certain acquisitions.

Complete List of Transition Words

Complete List of Transition Words Once you have completed the first draft of your paper, you will need to rewrite some of the introductory sentences at the beginning and  the transition statements at the end of every paragraph. Transitions, which connect one idea to the next, may seem challenging at first, but they get easier once you consider the many possible methods for linking paragraphs together- even if they seem to be unrelated. Transition words and phrases  can help your paper move along, smoothly gliding from one topic to the next.  If you have trouble thinking of a way to connect your paragraphs, consider a few  of these 100 top transitions as inspiration. The type of transition words or phrases you use depends on the category of transition you need, as explained below. Additive Transitions Probably the most common type, additive transitions are those  you use when you want to show that the current point is an addition to the previous  one, notes  Edusson, a website that provides students with essay-writing tips and advice. Put another way, additive transitions signal to the reader that you are adding to an idea and/or your ideas are similar, says  Quizlet, an online teacher and student learning community. Some examples of additive transition words and phrases were compiled by Michigan State University  writing lab. Follow each transition word or phrase with a comma: IndeedIn the first placeAndOrTooNorFurtherMoreoverFurthermoreIn factLet aloneAlternativelyAs well (as this)What is moreIn addition (to this)ActuallyMuch lessOn the other handEither (neither)As a matter of factBesides (this)To say nothing ofAdditionallyNot to mention (this)Not only (this) but also (that) as wellIn all honestyTo tell the truth An example of  additive transitions used in a sentence would be: In the first place, no burning in the sense of combustion, as in the burning of wood, occurs in a volcano;  moreover, volcanoes are not necessarily mountains;  furthermore, the activity takes place not always at the summit but more commonly on the sides or flanks....– Fred Bullard,  Volcanoes in History, in Theory, in Eruption In this and the examples of transitions  in subsequent sections, the transition words or phrases are printed in italics to make them easier to find as you peruse the passages. Adversative Transitions Adversative transitions are used to signal conflict, contradiction, concession, and dismissal says Michigan State University. Examples include: ButHoweverOn the other handIn contrastWhileWhereasConverselyEven moreAbove allBut even soNeverthelessNonethelessAlthoughThoughHowever(And) still(And) yetEither wayIn either case(Or) at leastWhichever happensWhatever happensIn ether event An example of an adversative transition phrase used in a sentence would be: On the other hand, professor Smith completely disagreed with the authors argument. Causal Transitions Causal transitionss include: AccordinglyAnd soAs a resultConsequentlyFor this reasonHenceSoThenThereforeThusGranting (that)On the condition (that)In the event thatAs a result (of this)Because (of this)As a consequenceConsequentlyIn consequenceSo  much (so) thatFor the purpose ofWith this intentionWith this in mindUnder those circumstancesThat being the caseThen An example of a causal transition used in a sentence would be: The study of human chromosomes is in its infancy,  and so  it has only recently become possible to study the effect of environmental factors upon them.–Rachel Carson, Silent Spring Sequential Transitions Sequential transitions express a numerical sequence, continuation, conclusion, digression, resumption, or summation, says Michigan State, which gives these examples: In the (first, second, third, etc.) placeTo begin withTo start withInitiallySecondlyNextSubsequentlyBeforeAfterwardAfter thisTo conclude withAs a final pointLast but not leastTo change the topicIncidentallyBy the wayTo get back to the pointTo resumeAnyhowAs was previously statedSoIn shortThusIn sumFinally An example of a sequential transition would be: We should teach that words are not the things to which they refer. We should teach that words are best understood as convenient tools for handling reality....Finally, we should teach widely that new words can and should be invented if the need arises.–Karol Janicki, Language Misconceived In sum, use transition words and phrases judiciously to keep your paper moving, hold your readers attention, and retain your audience until the final word.

Comparison Between Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Essay

Comparison Between Macroeconomic and Microeconomic - Essay Example Macroeconomics also analyses some sub aggregates like spending on consumptions and investments and their components. These are also treated to be the components of GDP or Gross Domestic Product. The effect of fiscal as well as monetary policy is under the purview of macroeconomics. It can be characterized as modeling of sectors on the basis of some micro components. The factors that can shed its impact on the long term growth prospects as well as can affect the level of national income fall under the domain of macroeconomics. The factors that have such kind of potential include modifications in technology, the rate of capital accumulation and augmentation of the labor force (Cencini, 2005, p. 2). The models of macroeconomics can be used to find out the trends in some specific sector and forecast or anticipate the future results. These forecasted results determined using those models are used by the government as well as for the large ownership corporations as this kind of analysis wi ll help them in their path of development and build new strategies of business that suites their purpose. Some of the famous macroeconomic models include Aggregate demand, the Aggregate supply model and the ISLM model. The once divided fields of monetary policy and the business cycles led to the emergence of macroeconomics. The contribution of J.M. Keynes to macroeconomics cannot be ignored. His book â€Å"General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money† depicts the key concepts of macroeconomics. He offered a modern theory of economics which dealt with the problem on why the market is not clear and eventually a school of economists evolved who seemed to follow the Keynesian theory (Andolfatto, 2005, p. 2). Microeconomics deals with the basic elements in the economy. The households and the firms are treated to be the agents involved in the circle of microeconomics.

Mitigation and risk reduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mitigation and risk reduction - Essay Example This paper deals with the disaster mitigations in the country of Japan which is considered as one of the most technologically-advanced and most-prepared nations in the world today. The world has seen the triple horrors of the strong earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis it currently faces. Discussion There are many ways to mitigate the adverse effects of a disaster if and when it strikes. A few of these measures include laws on zoning ordinances and strict building codes. We can see that in Japan, these were mostly followed because most tall buildings in Japan were built on solid ground and further, were designed and constructed to withstand strong earthquakes. A 9.0 strong earthquake that hit the country last March 11 showed its high level of preparations and a building code that was implemented properly because very few buildings toppled during the earthquake. It can be said that most of the casualties were the result of the subsequent tsunami that hit eastern parts of Japan facin g the Pacific Ocean. The local population is also very well informed.

Madness in Love in William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Madness in Love in William Shakespeare Essay Madness in Love in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Twelfth Night† There are many definitions for love, but there are also many definitions for madness. Both words, when joined together, create an endless possibility of emotions and actions one can bare to hold for the sake of another. Madness can be described as â€Å"senseless folly†. When a person is in love with another, they tend to define their feelings of passionate affection for this other person. Shakespeare’s concept was to involve some of his characters with this feeling. In Twelfth Night, madness is created by the misconception and misunderstanding due to love. Mainly, it is said that Love is one of the most significant types of madness. It leads to causes like confusion and chaos in mind, mentality, and behavior. In the Twelfth Night, the Duke Orsino falls madly in love with Olivia. Orsino describes his love towards Olivia deeper than he could imagine, â€Å"So full of shapes is fancy, that it alone is high fantastical†. Orsino loses his focus on reality as he says â€Å"For such as I am all true lovers are. Unstaid and skittish in all motions else, save in the constant image of the creature, that is beloved. †(P. 34) The only thing that is real for him at the moment is anything that has to do with his â€Å"beloved creature†, the beautiful Olivia. We also see Olivia’s senseless acts come to play as she finds herself smitten after her first encounter with Cesario: †I do I know not what, and fear to find. Mine eye too great a flatterer of my mind. [†¦]What is decreed must be – and be this so! †(P. 24) Olivia finds herself unable to think properly because she is so distracted and flustered by the attractive looks of Cesario. Another interpretation could be that Olivia’s affection has been taken and used up by Cesario due to the loss of her brother and she refuses to share her love with anyone else. Later on in the play Malvolio’s madness changes from the state of being madly in love and committing crazy acts of devotion to the state of being in madness or chaos because of the misunderstanding of the situation. He thinks it was Olivia who wrote the trick note when it was really Maria, Toby, and Andrew who tried to trick him. They created a letter, pretending to be Olivia, telling Malvolio what will make her happy. The letter did not even state that it was Olivia, but because Malvolio was excited to gain her favor he jumped to the conclusion that it was her. Malvolio’s infatuation for Olivia was so great it clouded his ability to think properly. â€Å"Daylight and champion discovers not more! †, is Malvolio’s first comment as he finished reading. He was so desperate to please Olivia and gain her love, he jumps straight to the conclusion that she wrote the letter for him. The little acts of devotion Maria mentioned in the letter were so absurd Malvolio was willingly ready to fulfill all of them: â€Å"I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade me, for every reason excites to this, that my lady love me. I will be strange, stout, in yellow stockings, and cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting on. †(P. 44) Malvolio enters into a state of madness and confusion because he feels no one else knows what he is talking about. Whether madness was created due to acting foolishly because of an infatuated feeling or acting with intense emotion over someone you really care about, all these situations were because of love. In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, â€Å"there is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness†. Shakespeare’s characters Orsino, Olivia, and Malvolio, all had a cause for their madness, and it was because of their love for somebody else. Sometimes it is a feeling that comes over you that you think is love but it doesn’t have to mean that it is simultaneously true.

Kobe Bryant Essay -- Sports, NBA, A sexual Assault Case

â€Å"The Tainted Record† He has it all: the fame, the fortune, and the fans. Kobe Bryant has anything and everything any living person could want, and as a former NBA champion, he even has arguably more athleticism than most people out there. However, even through his NBA championships and his MVP awards, many people tend to look at Kobe in a very negative way; almost look down on the star for one single occurrence. This may seem harsh, but there is indeed a logical explanation to this seemingly pessimistic attention Kobe always attracts. In 2003, a sexual assault case was filed on Kobe, which would proceed to affect his image forever (â€Å"Bryant, Kobe† 4). Therefore, although he is an extremely talented athlete, Kobe Bryant is a negative influence to aspiring basketball players. Although this negative attention occurred during his NBA career, Bryant did, in fact, have many NBA achievements before this mishap. Firstly, at just 17 years old (â€Å"Kobe Bryant† 1), Kobe managed to become the second youngest player to enter the professional league in NBA history, being the 13th overall pick in the 1996 draft (â€Å"Bryant, Kobe† 1). In mid-1996, Kobe was traded to his now current team, the NBA Lakers, where he would proceed to gain both his glory and his infamy (â€Å"Kobe Bryant† 1). Additionally, Bryant joined the all-star team in just his second season in the league, therefore becoming the single youngest player to be part of the all-star team of all time (â€Å"Bryant, Kobe† 1) at just 19 years old (Kobe at 30--Oh, how the years go by 2). Surprisingly, these achievements would not be the only ones he would acquire. By 2003, Bryant had already captured 3 NBA titles for himself (â€Å"Bryant, Kobe† 1), winning three tit les in a row from 2000 to 2002(K... ...e Bryant’s success, he is unfortunately a negative role model to aspiring basketball players. However, he has it all. Kobe Bryant always is and always will be an NBA legend. He has had and still does have countless fans, and possesses a level of skill which very few could even match. However, despite all of these feats he has achieved and all of the money he has managed to earn, his sexual assault case in 2003 taints this famous star’s record. No matter how it’s observed, Kobe Bryant was permanently affected, which in turn affected many fans’ viewpoints of the star. And although he has made a definite comeback, his past actions are not and will never be forgotten. No matter what he does in the future, the assault case will still be there. Therefore, because of this, Kobe Bryant’s image, no matter how hard he may try, will be damaged, or tainted, forever.

Reaction to Raisin in the Sun/Dream Defered Essay

This poem resonated with me more so than any other so far. It starts out with a simple question about a dream that gets put off and the raisin is a metaphor for the dream or idea that is perished in the blazing sun. The writer uses such vocabulary to ignite all senses to describe the raisin as decaying, festering and stink like rotten meat. IT seems as so the dream is the source of pain for the writer and the ills that accompany the chasing of the dream are pain, anguish and torture. The use of the sun I found to be significant as the sun is the source of all life and covers the whole world and to the individual, the raisin, it causes an unbearable torment. The dream in this poem is not indicated but given the context of the writer I assumed it could be used to explain what we know to be the American Dream where a man can be happy and enjoy life in his own home away from persecution of society. I would compare that that the pain in this poem like the sores and heavy load are the day to day hardships he faces to achieve his dreams. The last line is significant as along with the other lines in the poem he poses questions but this last line is terminal. There are no more transformations the dream can do but to explode and be destroyed completely. This suggests either he gives up or the things that keep him from achieving his dreams causes him to break down and crack mentally perhaps. In â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† we see a typical African American Family with each member having their own dreams and ideas of what they want out of life. They each chase what they believe to be a â€Å"way out† for them and take steps to get there. What keeps this family from achieving them are hardships like lack of money, lack of support and resources that perhaps non-African Americans have. The play depicted the everyday life of African Americans in a way that all cultures can understand. The resemblance to actual people Hansberry invented a situation that was realistic and could be understood by anyone who has ever wanted a better situation in life. The comparison of the poem of Langston Hughes â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the topic and characters even more realistic. It asks the question what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. And the play shows the audience the real life events of those thoughts and questions in the poem. A Raisin in the Sun is a complicated movie with many levels of social aspects entwined. The movie shows the oppression that was occurring to African Americans at the time especially in housing exploitation. . Walter is just angry at society and wants more of life and himself. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation by buying a house and giving it to Travis. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead by stealing Walter’s money for the store. Beneatha most represents a feminist who fight the system by wanting to become a doctor and gain an education and fights society’s expectations of her as a black woman. Between the play, movie and poem the ideas expressed transcend too many people and can be considered timeless. As humans we all want better situations and gain a piece of the American Pie that we perceive others to have. We recognize when we are oppressed and persecuted against and which to elevate away from them.

Examine the Way Shakespeare Presents the Relationship Between Romeo and Rosaline and Romeo and Juliet in the Early Parts of the Play Essay

Examine the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Rosaline and Romeo and Juliet in the early parts of the play. Introduction * One of the most the most tragic love stories. * Romeo portrayed as the quintessential hero * Romeo characterised as young man transformed by love (upon closer analysis) * This can be seen in Romeo’s initial interest in Rosaline, which is superficial and passive in comparison to the more complex and active relationship he develops with Juliet. * Shakespeare employs a diverse use of detailed language and literary techniques to illustrate this Paragraph 1 * Rosaline: Romeo’s obsession. Belief of genuine love but unrequited (quote) * Hyperbolic language(quote) * Use of oxymoron’s – state of mind, turmoil (quote) * Confusion stems from rejection * Love is intoxicating, not enjoying his experience – metaphor (quote) Paragraph 2 * Convinced love is madness (quote) * Love has made him lose himself (quote) * Discovers love is futile – Rosaline determined to stay chaste.(quote) * Aesthete side is revealed when describing her, focus on Rosaline’s physical beauty and attractiveness. Paragraph 3: * Military language – love is a battlefield (quote) * Language relating to death – focusing on aesthetics/ main theme of play * As if Juliet already knows fate (quote) Paragraph 4: * Light imagery – predominant feature (quote) * Despite Romeo’s great declarations of love for Rosaline, his feelings are actually fleeting, as shown by his behaviour when he spies young Juliet. (quote) He is smitten at first sight, * Contrast of light and dark (quote) Paragraph 5: * Romeo’s use of religious imagery – comparing meeting Juliet to religious experience (quote) * Convinced that one kiss will clear him of his sins (quote) * Religious imagery – sees Juliet as a deity or a descendant from heaven (quote) – more light imagery * Reference to time – (quote) implies that Juliet feels the time is longer than it is before she next sees Romeo Conclusion: * Different language used by Romeo for Rosaline and Juliet * Rosaline’s darkness opposed to Juliet’s light (quote) * Loses identity just like with Rosaline (quote) * Large amount of biblical allusions used * Explanation of fate (quote) * Romeo relationship with Juliet more important than Rosaline – instantly forgotten (quote) * Not actually in love but with the concept of love. Paragraph 1| Paragraph 2| Paragraph 3| Paragraph 4| Paragraph 5| conclusion| Out of her favour, where I am in love| It is madness, most discreet| She will not be hit with cupid arrowAssailing, siege| It is the east and Juliet is the sunTwo of the fairest stars in heaven| Saints, pilgrim, holy, prayer, shrine| Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon| O brawling love O loving hate| Tut, I have lost myself, I am not here. This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.| She is rich in beauty, only poor. That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store| Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!| Thus from my lips by thine sin is purged| I know not how to tell thee who I am| Feather of leadBright smokeCold fireSick health| she hath Dians wit, and, in strong proof of chastity well armed| My grave is like to be my wedding bed| As a rich jewel in an Ethiops ear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows.| Bright angel Winged messenger of heaven| Star crossed lovers take their life| Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs| | | | I will not fail; tis’ twenty years till then| Did my heart love till now?| Although, however, to begin with, despite, in addition to this, where as, contradictorily, in conclusion, paradoxically, nevertheless, to sum up. This suggests, this demonstrates/portrays, moreover, possibly, doubtless,  arguably, indisputably, unquestionably, undeniably, alternatively, conclusively, this signifies, this could represent. On the other hand, likewise, similarly, in the same way, equally, it could be argued. Consequently, as a result, therefore, thus, evidently, subsequently, ironically, hence, naturally.

Word Choice Principle vs. Principal - Writing Tips from Proofed

Word Choice Principle vs. Principal - Writing Tips from Proofed Word Choice: Principle vs. Principal â€Å"Principle† and â€Å"principal† sound and look very much alike. In addition, neither word is very common in everyday language, so it can be hard to remember what each term means. However, there is an important difference between these words. Don’t worry, though! You can follow our advice on how to use â€Å"principle† and â€Å"principal† correctly to make sure your work is error free. Principle (A Rule or Guiding Idea) â€Å"Principle† is always a noun (i.e., a naming word). Typically, it refers to an idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens. For example: Time travel would violate the principles of modern science. Democracy works on the principle of one person, one vote. The first sentence above refers to established scientific laws. The second refers to a guiding idea. Youll find principles for almost everything. A similar use of â€Å"principle† is to refer to a â€Å"moral standard,† such as if we say: I am kind to animals as a matter of principle. In addition, sometimes â€Å"principle† is used in contrast to practice. For example: I’m in favor of the new law in principle, but it could cause problems. Here, saying â€Å"in principle† means â€Å"in theory† or â€Å"as an idea,† but this is contrasted with concerns about how the â€Å"principle† will be applied in real life. Principal (First or Most Important) â€Å"Principal† is most often an adjective (i.e., a word that describes a noun). When used like this, it means â€Å"first in order of importance.† For example: Petroleum is the principal export of Saudi Arabia. My principal reason for taking the job was the salary. In these cases, â€Å"principal† works as a synonym for â€Å"main† or â€Å"most important.† This word can also be a noun, though. When used like this, it usually refers to the person in charge of a school: The new principal addressed the students at assembly. The noun form of â€Å"principal† also has some less common meanings. As a legal term, for example, it refers to the person directly responsible for a crime. You won’t need to know technical definitions like this to use this term on a day-to-day basis, but it is worth looking out for unusual usages! Principle or Principal? With these terms, if you are looking for an adjective, it will always be â€Å"principal† that you need. But telling the noun forms of these words apart can be tricky! Our advice is to remember that a â€Å"principal† is usually a person, whereas a â€Å"principle† is a rule or belief. You should therefore be able to work out the correct term from the context. Principle = Rule or guiding idea (noun) Principal = First/most important (adjective) or head of a school (noun)

How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like Crazy - CoSchedule

How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like Crazy When you’re creating content for your blog, what are you hoping to achieve? More than likely, you’re working to attract qualified leads for your business. Unfortunately, though, this can be easier said than done. Business blogging comes with its challenges. Maybe you’re dealing with a bounce rate thats higher than ideal. Perhaps people aren’t clicking on your calls-to-action or converting through your forms. Its possible you’re attracting an audience, but they aren’t interested in your products or services. You may even be spending resources on creating valuable offerings, but they aren’t attracting qualified leads. There has to be something you can do about this, right? You shouldn’t give up on your blog, but rather optimize your content for lead generation. After reading through this guide, you’ll be able to do just that. How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like CrazyDownload Your Free Blogging Resource Bundle This post is jam-packed with advice. Put it all into practice with these free bonus templates, guides, and reports. Heres what weve included: A Blog Post Outline Template to write thorough content every time. A 28-page Blog Writing Process Bonus Guide to dig even deeper into how to create comprehensive content. A How to Write a Call to Action Bonus Template to craft CTAs that convert crazy amounts of traffic. A Content Calendar Excel Template to plan and schedule all your blog posts. 5 free Google Analytics Custom Reports to measure the effectiveness of your content promotion in just a few clicks. Have One Main Goal When Planning Your Content Hint: that one overall goal should revolve around lead generation. To start, you need to clearly define this goal. It’s not enough to just say you want to generate leads. You need to follow a process for making that goal work. You have two ways of doing this: SMART  or CLEAR  goal setting. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. With SMART goals, your focus is on making a goal that provides enough information to make reporting on results easier. A SMART lead generation goal could be: "We want to increase qualified, sales-ready blog leads by 50% this quarter compared to last quarter." CLEAR stands for: Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, and Refinable. The CLEAR goal-setting process is the more recent alternative to SMART goals. Adam Kreek, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker, developed this alternative to fit a more up-to-speed, agile environment. A CLEAR lead generation goal could be: We want to work as a marketing team to bring 5 new qualified leads from marketing blog objectives for sales readiness through quality content offerings. With your blog content, you want to decide on one of these goal-setting options, or create your own way, so that you can clearly understand your path. Your goal, regardless of methodology, should be set up in a way that allows you to see a beginning-to-end process for your work. CLEAR vs SMART Goals: which do you use for your #content #marketing?Yes, your blog should be designed around your readership’s needs and pain points, so you should have subgoals for that. However, your overall, most important goal should always be what lead results you want to see from your efforts. In addition to setting up your goal, you have a choice for how you’ll follow your content’s results. You can use calendar software, such as what you’d find with , or choose a do-it-yourself (DIY) calendar system  in Excel or Google Sheets. By following a calendar, you’re better able to see how your content is leading to or falling away from your established goal. Recommended Reading: How To Get Crazy Organized With A Comprehensive Content Calendar (Free Template) The Complete 14-Step Content Strategy That Will Boost Your Results by 434% Use The Right Tool(s) For Contact Information Collection And Follow-Up The best way to turn your blog into a lead generation tool is to have a system in place for quick and easy contact collection. You want to acquire at least an email address. Ideally, you’ll want more information to help you create a personalized lead nurturing experience. You’ll want to find the tool or tools that’ll help you with this process. The tool(s) need to help you develop a seamless system for both marketing and sales to work together. Whichever system you put in place should help you take a blog subscriber and follow their path to a sale. Some of the best lead acquisition and nurturing tools, depending on your needs and budget, are: MailChimp: Best for contact collection and email marketing HubSpot’s CRM: Best for lead nurturing and monitoring When using MailChimp, you can add sign-up widgets for your blog sidebar so that it is always visible to your readers. You also have the option of creating a pop-up form to appear when readers visit your blog. Add the MailMunch  integration to create these widgets and pop-ups. Watch this video to see how: You’re given options for copy, design, form fields, and other elements. This integration is free, but it means the MailMunch name will appear with your form. Using these forms allows for contact information to go straight into your chosen MailChimp list. It’s an easy, automatic way to bring leads to your email marketing platform for further contact. MailChimp is primarily an email marketing platform, so it doesn’t give you a full picture of where each contact stands in your sales funnel. That’s when you need to find a tool that can take your contacts further along. HubSpot has a CRM that offers what you need to collaborate and monitor your contacts as they proceed through the sales funnel. You can use this tool to track the emails you send to your leads, if you use Gmail. Or, you can use MailChimp for email and HubSpot’s CRM for taking your marketing activity and passing it along to sales. HubSpot’s CRM gives you thorough information collected from each of your contacts. This information is found automatically, when possible. You can learn where the contact works, their phone number, and even their social media accounts. All of this information is available in one place along with your contact’s timeline. If you want to take your lead generation one step further, try using a full-service, all-in-one platform. HubSpot has a marketing platform  that’ll help you track leads from source to sale and beyond. It offers ways to engage with leads from when they’re just visiting after they’ve made a purchase. You’ll know which blog elements resonated with them to help you create a truly personalized lead nurturing experience. Whichever tool(s) you select, make sure it works well enough to remove any barriers between contact collection and sales follow-up. You’ll want tools that work seamlessly together or just one tool that does it all. This system of having a lead nurturing tool(s) will help you truly see a successful return on investment (ROI) with your blog activity. Recommended Reading: How to Be More Successful With the Right Content Marketing Tools Make Your Content Relevant To Your Buyer Personas Your blog is an opportunity for dual benefits. You want to bring in leads on your end, but to do this, you also need to give your readers worthwhile content. To see the right audience convert on your content, you need to create highly-relevant blog resources that benefit your buyer personas. This pinpointed readership  will help you create articles that bring in the right audience for conversion. To create these personas, you can follow your own process, use a template, or follow these steps: Clean up and finalize your data. You likely now have an overwhelming amount of data for your personas. It’s time to filter and clean this up to a more manageable document. Focus on the critical data, such as what is working instead of what should be put aside. Keep your focus on creating reader personas that have data about what they like and what they want to see. Everything else can be removed. Ask your current readers for their input. When you’re looking for what is working versus what is missing, one of your best opportunities is to ask your current readership directly. Use a tool, such as Google Forms, to reach out to them via email, or add a survey to your social media accounts. Twitter polls, for example, are great for multiple choice questions. Your readers are eager to be heard, and asking them for their input is largely effective for that very reason. Evaluate how your readers behave. Use Google Analytics  for this because the tool gives you so much information about how your website visitors are behaving on your site. You can track which blog posts have the most visitors versus which ones have the longer time on-page data. Take advantage of this information to see what’s working for you so far versus what needs improvement. Compare your real data with your ideal data. Take what you know about your current readership and compare it to who your ideal reader would be. This is a hypothetical reader that you’d want to see visit your blog. They are contacts that fit with your conversion goal. Collect initial demographic data. Where do they work? What is their age and gender? Where are they located? These are all examples of the demographic data you should collect. This data should describe your current readership to help you understand your status now for better decisions in the future. An example of a tool you can use to collect this information is Google Display Planner. It provides detailed information about your audience via search results and website activity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiGfgo4RJDA Find your target audience’s pain points. Do some research on social media and review sites to see what your target readers are complaining about. Tracking mentions, hashtags, and keywords can help with that. This will give you important information about problems you can solve via blog content. The more relevant and timely your content is, the more conversions you’ll see. Ask your sales team for their findings. Your sales team acquires a great amount of data on your customers and prospects when they’re taking each one through the sales process. They can offer valuable information for your use as you build your personas. Take the information you acquire to develop personas based on what you know is effective so far. Audit your current content. Look at your current content to see if it’s getting any engagement. Blog comments and social shares are two ways to determine your content’s value. Check your bounce rate in Google Analytics. Analyze social media metrics to see how people are reacting to your content on each platform. Are they retweeting? Do they add a comment? Are you getting a lot of link clicks? These are all ways to determine whether your readers are enjoying or skipping your content. Apply the data into a persona document. You can use a tool, such as Xtensio, to create a manageable document for your personas. Or use your own Excel, Google Sheets, Word, or Google Docs template. To make your content relevant to the right audience, you need to know who they are and what they want to see from you. Your personas can help you with that. Personas aren’t permanent or final, however. They’re fluid as your target readership changes. As trends change, reader interests change. Your blog content and personas need to adapt with these changes. Recommended Reading: How To Find Your Target Audience And Create The Best Content That Connects Spark Your User Persona To Life With These 9 Important Tools Take The Time To Fully Prepare Your Content To truly make effective blog content, it’s not enough to just dive right in. You need a plan for what you’re going to write and how you’re going to present your ideas. Otherwise, you risk creating scattered content. It will confuse your readers and likely make them leave without converting. That’s why it’s so critical for you to do the necessary research and planning before you start to write your draft. If you're looking for conversions, planning and researching your #blog #content is critical.First, Identify Your Topic. Finding a topic that will resonate with your target readers can be a challenge. You not only need to know what you’re going to write about but also how you’re going to present the idea in your article headline. You have tools available  to you that can help you with this process: Impact’s Blog Title Generator With BlogAbout by Impact Branding Design, you choose a keyword, such as â€Å"marketing† to help you fill out the headline prompts. The keyword is more for your reference as you receive the prompts, but the headline ideas can apply to any keyword you choose. When you receive a headline idea that you like, you can click on the heart to save it in a list for future reference. When you have enough options, you can request the list be sent to you automatically by email. To add to this tool’s value, you also have the option of free writing using their â€Å"writer’s block† section. It’s a blank canvas you can draw in to get your thoughts onto â€Å"paper.† This tool has one noticeable glitch though. Exporting your list does not always work. It might be best to type out your favorites into a separate document. This will also make it easier for you to work with the content instead of having to copy/paste from the email. Portent’s Content Idea Generator Unlike BlogAbout, Portent’s Content Idea Generator does not have an export feature. However, it does have several helpful features to make up for it. This tool gives you especially creative (sometimes controversial) headline prompts using the keyword you chose. It adds your selected keyword into the headline along with the rest of the text. With your prompt, Portent adds commentary to the words to help inspire you or simply to make you laugh. The comments can give you more ideas for the visible headline or help you create an entirely new one. HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator HubSpot’s tool for discovering topic ideas is different from the other two tools. With their Blog Topic Generator, you insert 3 noun-based keywords. The tool will then give you 5 headline ideas based on those words. You can mix and match the headlines on your own, but HubSpot doesn’t let you do it in the tool. Instead, export the list via email or copy/paste them into an editable document. When you’re considering a topic generated from these tools, keep your reader personas in mind at all times. Even if you think the headline sounds funny or appealing, you need to stick with the ones that will attract your target readers. Pick the topics that mention or at least will cover a specific pain point in your readers. When they read content that truly speaks to their needs, they are more likely to follow-through on your call-to-action to convert into leads. Have you tried these content idea generators from @Portent, @HubSpot, and @impactbnd?Then, Create An Outline You now have a topic picked out. It’s time to start writing your draft, right? No. You always need to take the necessary step of creating an outline. Why? You’ll create structure out of your various points. You’ll make it easier on yourself when writing your draft. The outline will ensure your article’s readability factor. To create the best outline, make sure you’re creating one that has plenty of detail and all your points listed. Have your headings and subheadings ready to go. Include any research you’re going to cite, placed where they belong in your article. Add your main points, even if in fragments, to each heading and subheading. This all will make creating your first draft a lot faster, easier, and more efficient. Writing #blog post outlines will make creating your first draft a lot faster, easier, and more...Focus Your Content  On Reader Benefits Now that you know the importance of reader personas, your next step is to create content that benefits them. You want to create content that gets found in search results, but your priority should always be on helping your readers. There’s nothing worse than putting in all the effort in creating your article just to see your bounce rate increase. The important thing to remember is that your content can either put off your readers  or get them wanting more. When they choose the latter, that’s your chance at converting them via your call-to-action. When you’re writing your article, your focus should be on the following: Readability.  Is your article easy to scan and read quickly? Are your points easily understood? Use Hemingway  or the Yoast SEO plugin  to help you with this. Benefits. Does your article provide value to your readers? Are they given instructions they can take with them and apply with their own work? Readability  is key when you’re trying to keep your readers from beginning to end. To keep your blog post focused on this, it needs to follow these best practices: According to Yoast, it’s important that you write in simple English so that younger audiences would be able to understand what you’re saying. This is known as the Flesch reading ease score. Using transition words helps your readers by dividing one point from another. This makes your content easier to digest. You can use words such as â€Å"and,† â€Å"but,† â€Å"or,† â€Å"because,† etc to separate your points. For example: â€Å"The article was 5,000 words long, so the writer divided it into a series of posts.† Use enough subheadings  to make scanning your article easier. For example, if your article is 1000 words, divide it into 3-5 subheadings. Too much text per subheading, such as 500 words in block text, will make it harder for your readers to scan through. Keep your paragraphs short to keep reader focus. Shorter paragraphs help readers understand your point quicker than longer paragraphs. Make sure your sentences are short.  Longer sentences are inevitable, but you don’t want too many of them in your article. The ideal sentence length should not exceed 20 words. Avoid using passive voice  when possible. Otherwise, you make your sentences harder to read: An example of passive voice: â€Å"The article was written by Annaliese.† Switching it to active voice: â€Å"Annaliese wrote the article.† Use plenty of bulleted lists, white space, imagery, and other breaks from your block text. This will help your readers understand your points without losing focus. Benefits  are what make your content worth readers’ time. If you’re too focused on what you want from your post, you’ll neglect providing value to your readers. Blogging is about helping your readers first, so self-promotion should always be secondary. Along with giving people a reason to read, you also want to give them actionable takeaways. This is the end benefit you should offer your readers. They are looking for assistance with their own needs and efforts, so they expect to have ways to apply what they’ve learned from you. articles focus on reader benefits by ensuring that every article includes thorough explanations, step-by-step instructions, and applicable takeaways. Each of their articles includes content readers can download to further enhance the experience. Another blog that does a good job is from Buffer. Their articles are also thorough, and they regularly update them to ensure readers learn the latest trends and techniques for their efforts. No matter what: focus on your readers first, and give them what they came for in the first place. Recommended Reading: How To Communicate Effectively With Your Blog Readers To Keep Them Reading Be Strategic With Your CTA Wording, Design, And Placement Your call-to-action or CTA has to be convincing enough to get your readers to click on it. You may be wondering: how can I accomplish this? The answer: you create a CTA that follows these best practices. This is how you’ll get people to give you their contact information and convert. This is how you’ll get people to give you their contact information and convert.Nail Your CTA Copy Your call-to-action copy needs to be short but still give readers a reason to click on it. It should be focused on real benefits and not serve as clickbait. Use power words  to convince visitors that this action they’ll take will be worthwhile. Make it clear why and how they should act on your CTA. As you can see from the example below, uses strong wording in their CTAs, such as â€Å"get,† â€Å"now,† and â€Å"free.† They’re expressing a sense of urgency and making their CTA a command to help visitors take action. Also, makes the value clear in what they’ll provide in exchange for the visitor’s information. They tell visitors that they offer the â€Å"#1 Marketing Calendar,† which clearly shows that their product is worth considering. When you’re working on your CTAs, make sure you’re using strong words, such as commands or value-based terms, to give your visitors a reason to click through. When you're working on CTAs, use emotional words to give your visitors a reason to click through.Pay Attention to CTA Design Use different text colors or use images to help your CTA stand out, but be careful that your design doesn’t confuse or annoy your readers.  Check to see that your CTA design stands out without interrupting the flow of your article. You want your CTA to be noticeable without being intrusive. That’s why experimenting with your CTA design is key. You’ll want to find the right method for best lead generation results. Let’s look at this example from a recent HubSpot article. Their call-to-action displays a preview image and bold colors. The text is large enough to be easily noticeable. Their CTA stands out from the page’s white background. As it is located at the end of the article, it doesn’t interrupt the reader. Experiment With CTA Placement Many times, you’ll see a CTA that’s in-line with the article copy. Other times, it may be a clickable image with text overlay. Regardless, you want to use a placement that stands out from the rest of your article and page as a whole. You want your CTA to fit naturally with your article without getting lost in the flow. Whether it’s at the beginning, middle, or end of your article page, you want to choose wisely. It’s important that you experiment thoroughly with which placement converts the most visitors. There’s not one best placement for everyone, so test it until you know what works for you and your visitors. Also, don’t be afraid to add it more than once per article. You just want to make sure it doesn’t take away from your article’s readability. If your readers can’t stay focused on your article, they may leave before considering your CTA. In the above example from the Convince Convert blog, this CTA is placed at the end of their articles. It takes a wide space to really stand out to readers who made it to the end. It doesn’t interrupt the article content but rather gives readers a reason to seek more. This is a prime example of a strategically-placed CTA. How To Test Your CTAs for Copy, Design, and Placement Optimization Only make one change at a time. Continue this process until you start seeing a decline in leads generated. If you don’t see improvement with a change, revert back to the last setting and make a different change. Use your available analytics to see if the change produced more leads, the same, or less. Testing is never over. Your readership changes over time, so your CTAs should adapt as a result. The best way to stay in tune with what works for your readers is to experiment regularly with your CTA copy, design, and placement. Although you have these three elements to work with, always remember to only make one change at a time. Otherwise, you won’t know which change was the winner. Recommended Reading: How To Write A Call To Action In A Template With 6 Examples How To Create Opt-In Forms: 5 Ways To Convert Traffic Like Crazy 11 WordPress Plugins To Inspire Visitors To Take Action Provide A Gated Content Upgrade Relating To Your Post In the last section, you learned about CTAs and saw examples from a blog article. If you look at the in-line and pop-up CTA examples again, you’ll see that they lead to what’s called a â€Å"content upgrade.† It’s an additional resource related to the article’s topic. It often serves as a way for readers to apply what they’ve learned from your article. uses content upgrades in almost all of their articles. It’s a quick and effective way to get more conversions than a simple CTA would provide. With a content upgrade, you want to ask for an email address at a  minimum. However, to fully optimize your further contact with readers, ask for a name and other personalized information. This will help your email outreach and also any sales-based contact. Recommended Reading: How To Create Amazing Content Upgrades For Your Blog Have A Content Promotion Plan In Place Before you finalize your blog draft, and before you publish it, you should have a plan for how you’re going to promote it. Your first focus should be on optimizing your content for social sharing. Then, you can plan how, where, and when to share your new content online. First: Optimizing Your Content For Sharing To see your content reach a larger audience than your own, you need your readers to share it with their networks. They won’t share if you don’t make it easy for them, so you want to pay attention to this when finalizing your draft. There are several tools you can use to make social sharing a breeze: ’s   in-line tweet prompt Sumo’s image sharer AddThis’s social sharing buttons uses social sharing buttons and Click-To-Tweet to give people more than one way to share. Make sure your content is optimized for social sharing by including options in the form of in-line engagement and sharing buttons to give your audience a quick, simplified process. Next: Plan Your Own Promotion Schedule Your own content promotion is important for notifying your existing fans and followers of new content. It’s important that you know what you’re doing, when you’ll do it, and how you’ll do it effectively. What you’re doing.  What platforms are you using for your content promotion? When you’ll do it.  What days and times are you going to publish your content promotion? How you’ll do it.  What format will you use on each platform, and how will you make it engaging? Use your content calendar to organize your content promotion strategy to make it more manageable. Otherwise, you’ll lose track of where and when you’ve already promoted your content, risking future repeats and mistakes. Recommended Reading: How To Promote Your Blog With 105 Content Promotion Tactics How To Develop An Effective Content Marketing Promotion Strategy How To Promote Your Content Marketing Like A Public Relations Genius What Next? You’re now better prepared to use your blog to generate leads. You have seven pieces of the puzzle that you need to use together to get the full picture. Apply each of these lead generation tactics in your blog activity to achieve the ROI you’re seeking. What tactics have worked best for you from this list? What tactic or tactics would you add? Let us know in the comments!

Technology with Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technology with Business - Essay Example It is used to automate the payroll functions. As a result of this automation, Microcel has been able to reduce the level of paperwork to a substantial level. Another module is attendance which in combination with biometrics automatically tracks employee attendance records. These software modules are tested in-house and therefore the HR processes which are standardized are automated. This saves a considerable level of costs. The company operates in a highly competitive industry and the use of cost-saving technology enables it to develop a competitive advantage. Technology in sales and marketing Because the software development industry is characterized by high competition, Microcel must attempt to provide solutions which deliver a high level of value. By employing information technology, the company improves operational efficiency and therefore is able to provide great customer service. According to the sales manager, the implementation of information technology enables his sales forc e to stay in constant touch with the customers, thus creating an efficient communications system. Because the company is in the business of providing IT services, it has the infrastructure which can incorporate the latest IT technology. This also serves as a unique selling proposition. The clients can see the software technology function at Microcel and thus make their purchase decisions. Therefore the use of IT enables Microcel not only to improve the efficiency of operational processes within the company but also to demonstrate the products to the clients. In this manner the software products not only generate revenue but also save costs. As mentioned before, the company operates in a competitive industry. There are quite a number of other companies which are developing human resource software. Other companies such as Trinet and Administaff are also developing human resource software. Therefore Microcel has to develop the best products in the industry so that it can continue to wi n market share away from other competitors. Because competitors like Trinet and Administaff are already well entrenched in the market, it may not be possible for a smaller company like Microcel to compete with them. Therefore the strategic focus of the company has been to focus upon those segments of the market which have not been using software products up to this time. These smaller companies do not have the resources to make massive cash outlays for purchasing software products. For this reason Microcel has focused upon minimizing product development costs. This allows the company to offer products at a relatively lower cost, thus making them affordable to the smaller companies which have not considered installing human resource information systems. Technology in human resource management At Microcel , the employees are considered to be the most important assets. Therefore the management focuses upon maintaining a motivated work force. Since the company operates in a competitive environment, it has to create a sustainable competitive advantage. According to Porter’s framework for competitive strategies, a company can implement the strategies of cost minimization, differentiation and focus to create a competitive advantage. However the competing organizations can also implement these same strategies and therefore none of the companies has a competitive edge any longer. On the other hand, if the organizational culture serves as the source of the competitive edge, then it becomes sustainable

Economic Statcraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Statcraft - Essay Example Relations between our countries became soured by the hostage-taking, military confrontation and harsh allegations after the Islamic revolution. Until recently, the strained relations are further emphasized by the sanctions that are in place that has seriously dampened the economic growth of the country. Both Iran and ours. The number of sanctions in the past two decades has also been instrumental in shaping its trade policy and its partnerships in the immediate region. In reacting to the terrorist attacks and their various networks terrorizing other countries as well, the choice to place an economic sanction on Iran is in retaliation to their attacks. This is to control the persistence of such acts and present a down ward trend if applied immediately. This sanction should be considered by Iran as an act of good faith to prove that diplomatic relations that deteriorated will have no further subsequent effects on trade relations in the even they accept. The hostage-taking in the embassy in Tehran hurting and killing Americans strained the relations between the two countries although it was downplayed by the international media might change if Iran is sanctioned economically. Possibly, strategies that can be applied are trade restrictions covering the economy as it will be extremely difficult to focus on local productions while recovering lost â€Å"allies† during the hostage-taking incident. Secondly, a political sanction may work best in curbing Iran’s influence and clout in the world trade market. Persuading other countries, like Europe and Japan and other U.S. sympathetic countries to limit their involvement with Iran through diplomatic connections could greatly affect Iran’s GNP. This could be done but is r isky and costly because in the process Iran may react at the first sanction through creativity. Meaning, Iran will place its emphasis on diversifying its international trade routes in order to maximize its trade grounds