Firstly, let’s go over some basics: The +1 feature itself.What is a +1 and what is a Circle?The +1 button is intended for people who wish to confirm that they like, respect or would recommend the information presented on the page they are visiting.This recommendation will carry different amounts of weight to other people, depending on whether they know the person that is +1-ing something. So if a prominent baseball player +1′s a newspaper’s review of the early baseball season at a national newspaper’s sports section online, then that is going to matter to those interested in that sport. To someone else, it won’t matter as much, if at all.Additional to this, a Google+ profile page can be linked to other related sites and this profile page (which can represent a person or a business, for instance) can be linked to a group of other profile pages (known as a circle) and this then can affect what content each of the people in the circle are shown subsequently when performing searches within Google itself.Do +1 Actions Affect SEO?Initially, people were unsure. However, Google themselves have since confirmed that they do incorporate social media signals into how they rank web pages for different search terms.Recent independent research at Tasty Placement was setup to try to confirm whether the number of Twitter followers, tweets & retweet, Facebook shares and likes, Google +1 voting and the number of followers to a site’s Google+ business page were material in search result positioning. Of the six sites tested, five showed a jump in positioning from 1 to sixteen places higher, where as one site which had no social media activity added, dropped a position. Similar research elsewhere has also shown the same outcomes.In testing, the strongest movement was actually caused by an increase in Google+ profile followers, followed by increases in +1 voting itself. The control number was a 100 follower increase for a certain page and 300 +1′s, and these had the greatest effect on results.Google is Making the ConnectionsGoogle is starting to be able to piece together the mosaic of the web, to see how one business page connects to one person (they work at the business they link to, from their Google+ profile) and this in turn connects to +1′s made by the same person.Google’s own search engine results pages (SERPs) are now including highly customized rankings, that rather than being fixed for all visitors, are now personalized. The level of personalization varied, and it carries over from +1′d photos, videos and written content, links to Google+ profile and pages that have been visited previously. If a page or a site is well liked by people added to a circle, then it is more likely that this page will show in a higher position for those in the circle that it most relates to.
Top 3 Reasons Small Businesses Fail at Marketing
I often speak to groups of small business owners and I keep hearing the same comment over and over again with many of them saying that marketers don’t matter or marketing doesn’t matter anymore.There are many reasons I’ve heard as to why marketing doesn’t matter: “all my business comes by referral,” “I never spent money on marketing and my business grew,” “marketing is a waste of money,” “I see no value in marketing,” “marketing is all luck so why spend money on it,” and so on.Oh, how they are so very wrong! Below are the top 3 reasons why:1. Their definition of marketing is wrongWhen business owners tell me that marketing doesn’t matter, they usually have a totally different understanding of what marketing is than those who recognise how marketing contributes to business goals where it enables you to charge the most money you can for your services and products.Marketing is first about spending time building a solid foundation based on strategy before proposing a series of tactics aimed at lifting sales. Until the business finds a way to change the context of how their ideal customer views what they do, and then becomes become the obvious choice provider, they’ll find that their marketing efforts never seem to build momentum or gain any return on investment.You must be able to enter the conversation taking place in the head of your customers. Or, to look at it in a different way, to be able to address the number one question on your customer’s mind at exactly the right time.So, how do you do this? The conversation that is taking place in every prospective customer’s mind revolves around two major points. There is a problem they have, and that they don’t want… and there is a result that they want, and they don’t have.Those who often misunderstand marketing believe that it is only about advertising campaigns, brochures, flyers, website, email marketing, SEO, tradeshows, social media, copy, etc. These are the tactics – the way you implement your marketing. I’d argue that marketing is essentially the core of business strategy because it is about understanding the current customer, tapping into their fears, their goals and their aspirations and then creating products and services that the ideal customer is willing to buy from a brand they now they know, like and trust.2. They believe either they or their co-worker can do itSometimes in the “do it all yourself” world of small business (or even big business when it comes to it), it’s difficult to identify the areas that require outside help. A business may be able to set up their newsletter, add plugins to WordPress, write a Facebook or LinkedIn post, and clumsily create header graphics, but you need somebody who is trained, practiced, and skilled at looking strategically and holistically at the marketplace, understanding the customer, and then creating unique opportunities based on this understanding.Just think about it for a minute; just because you have a calculator and excel does that mean you are an accountant? If you have a ruler, pencil and have watched some episodes of Grand Designs – does that make you an architect? If you post regularly to your friends on Facebook and Instagram – does that mean you are a social media expert?So why do small businesses believe that by buying a Mac and some software they will become a designer, marketer and communications expert?It needs to be led by a strategic marketer who can then develop an integrated marketing approach. Can you or your co-worker do this? In some cases, you can. But those who can are most likely to either come from marketing or consulting backgrounds where they have transferable skills and experience defining AND delivering against a growth strategy.If you are a small business, you need somebody who will have a very solid, process, streamlined, consistent, repeatable approach. First, they will research and learn about your company in great depth, the dynamics of the marketplace and identify shifts, trends, and changes. From there, the strategic marketer will be able to present the different elements of your marketing plan in logical order of how you should construct them, update them, or revise them; and identify the key areas you should be focusing on – be it generating leads, converting leads, increasing transactions right down to changing prices.3. They hire the wrong marketing helpThere is a huge misunderstanding around marketing strategy, marketing tactics, and marketing execution.There is a difference between being strategically capable, creatively capable and executionally capable.Small business owners don’t hire a strategic marketing coach/firm to develop creative graphics and headers; nor should you hire an advertising/graphic design agency to handle marketing strategy. A small business doesn’t need to hire a consultant or a firm who is a strong marketing executor when their biggest need is a strategy for sustainable growth. You may get more attention, but not the best results.
Choosing Mens Outdoor Apparel
There have been a lot of changes in the way that we look at our clothing. In the past, many men didn’t think much about what their apparel was made from as long as it fit and was fairly comfortable. Today things have greatly changed. New more modern types of material have made mens apparel a lot more interesting. Having clothing that can keep you warm but be lightweight at the same time is a great asset to the active male. These garments can also help you stay cooler in the heat. Mens outdoor apparel styles have seen quite an improvement as well.The new material that mens apparel for outdoors is being designed from has the ability to dry quickly. For kayaking and other water activities this is a great feature for clothing. This means your clothing can dry out quickly while still allowing you to keep in your body heat. This type of material is designed to let the water evaporate easier instead of holding it in the fabric keeping you soaked and cold. The styles on the market can be used in multiple activities which allow you to have a lot more choices when it comes to buying mens apparel for outdoors.Another great benefit of mens apparel for outdoors is that they now come in multiple great styles. You can look great and be extremely comfortable at the same time. When you go shopping for mens apparel for outdoors you don’t want to forget about the footwear. You may need everything from a pair of lightweight water sandals to a pair of boots on the same adventure. Coats are also a necessity. You may want to have both a lightweight jacket and a heavy winter coat so that you can have a choice depending on what activity you plan on engaging in. Having layers is also a big issue. Many times you will be caught in a situation where it is both cold and hot at different times of the day.Did you know that the new style clothing not only looks great on you, but they are made to help keep you safe during activities? It’s true the new materials being used for active wear has the ability to let your body breathe better. What this means is that your clothing will not stay wet when you are sweating. It is allowed to escape through the fabric helping you to look and feel dryer. This can make a big difference in certain environments. Mens outdoor apparel dries faster which in some cases can help you avoid hypothermia. So the new styles look great and help to protect you from the elements while being extremely durability.
Opt For Preventive Care To Reduce The Cost of Healthcare
People often do not prioritize their health and visit the hospital or their doctors while detecting some disease-causing symptoms in their bodies. However, preventive care is the best possible way everyone can undertake and cease the risk factors before the symptoms become dangerous and life-threatening. The following article will focus completely on preventive health care and how it helps reduce further costs involved with healthcare.
Suggested article: Preventive Dental Care In California
What is Preventive Care?
Preventive health care or prophylaxis involves the measures that people consider for preventing any diseases. The form of healthcare includes utilizing medical services or precautions that fight against the potential health crisis. It is the most important step that people can adopt in better management of their health.
Several factors such as genetic predisposition, lifestyle, environmental factors, and disease agents affect people’s health. Hence, everyone must undergo periodic health check-ups and screening tests from the doctors.
People opt for preventive health care for maintaining better health, and eliminating the disease becomes serious. Preventive care in conjunction with medicines will save a patient from health breakdown and save money from future expenses, especially if the patient is suffering from a chronic disease.
What are the Preventative Care Services?
Here are some of the examples of preventive health care services, along with their frequencies. ·
Annual Check-up (1 per calendar year): During the annual check-up, the doctor or Primary Care Provider (PCP) checks all areas of a person’s health, including physical and psychological. Examining the patients in detail helps in detecting any health care concerns in the early stages.
· Flu Shot (1 per year): Most health plans include flu shots and protect the patients from all strains of flu viruses.
· Mammogram (1 calendar year, after the patient attains the age of 40 years): Patients over the age of 40 must undergo routine x-rays of breast tissues and check for signs of cancer and other abnormalities. Some health plans might cover the costs of 3D imaging. ·
Colonoscopy (usually once in every decade after the age of 50) for detecting colon cancer.
· Vaccinations, including boosters for such as measles, rubella, polio, etc. administered during childhood.
Preventive health care helps keep people productive and active, enabling them to earn well during their senior years. Studies show that approximately 35% of people have to consider early retirement, even before they are financially ready. Opting for affordable, preventive care helps in reducing the numbers.
Why Should Patients Opt for Preventive Care?
Access to preventive health care helped reduce healthcare costs among Americans, as the physicians can prevent or treat the disease before the patient needs emergency room (ER) care. Almost one-third of costs in America include hospital care, which is undoubtedly very expensive. In 2010, 21.4% of adults paid at least a visit to the emergency room, which reduced to 18.6% in 2017. Adults not having affordable access to preventive care are more likely to pay a couple of visits to the emergency room.
Statistics show that 7% of the adults in the age group of 18-64 paid visits to the ER in 2014, as they had no other option, regardless of their health insurance status. About 77% of Americans went to the emergency rooms due to complications in their health, including those whose doctors advised them for emergency room care. Approximately 15.4% of uninsured adults in 2014 are more likely to use the emergency room, as they lacked other providers.
Undoubtedly, the cost of ER care for uninsured patients was extremely high. Hospitals provide care, even if the patient fails to provide fees for their services. As hospitals must recover the cost, they shift to Medicaid and health insurance premiums, which increases the healthcare cost for everyone.
Impact of Preventive Care Cost on Health Care Costs
Chronic diseases are the major leading cause of death among people, either preventable or manageable with regular visits to health care. These include:
· Heart diseases
· Cancer
· Stroke and
· Chronic lower respiratory diseases
Poor nutrition and obesity are the leading cause of heart disease and stroke. Genetics and smoking lead to lung cancer, which is the most common type of cancer. Obesity also risks several other forms of cancer.
Treating these chronic diseases is expensive, even before they reach emergency room status. Approximately 90% of the 3.5 trillion USD includes health care expenditures for people suffering psychological problems and chronic diseases. Patients who never went for preventative care or did not have any prescription coverage failed to afford the treatments, screenings, regular check-ups, and medications that would manage the underlying conditions of the disease. Instead, they head up to the emergency rooms with cases of strokes, heart attacks, and other complications.
However, with regular access to affordable, preventive care, the patients were more likely to discover and manage their chronic conditions. Doing so lowers the chances of visiting the emergency rooms and investing more into expensive treatments for those diseases, which passed regular management. With the decrease in the expenditure for treatments, the overall healthcare cost also decreases for everyone, as the hospitals no longer try to cover the treatment cost of the uninsured patients.
When and What Preventive Health Care is the Most Suitable?
A patient’s primary health care provider will help him or her coordinate the most suitable shots and tests. While analyzing the beneficial shots, the health care provider will consider certain aspects such as family history, age, sex, current health status, and several other factors.
Conclusion
Preventive health care often covers 100% of health plans and offers the patients several benefits both in cost and health. However, if the patient experiences doubts or are in dilemmas about the things covered and tests conducted, he or she must communicate with the physician at the earliest.
Everyone knows, “health is wealth.” If a patient is healthy, he or she will perform the best. However, it is also important to adopt a healthy lifestyle, reducing the risk factors and saving the patients from spending money on medicines.