Icetruck.tv News Blog

Find

Health

Clean Teeth, Happy Family: How to Find the Best Family Dentist

Clean Teeth, Happy Family: How to Find the Best Family


Clean Teeth, Happy Family: How to Find the Best Family Dentist

Your family needs clean, healthy teeth—but no one likes going to the dentist.

Finding the right family dentist can be challenging. You need someone who understands how to treat teeth from the young to the old. 

You might not look forward to taking your kids to the dentist, but it’s critical to take good care of your youngster’s teeth. In kids aged 6–19 years, dental cavities (tooth decay) is the most common chronic disease. This can lead to infection and pain. 

An excellent dentist makes it more enjoyable to schedule visits. How do you find the best family dentist? Here’s your guide. 

Check Your Insurance

Start with dentists in your network. You can ask friends for referrals (and you should!). However, if your insurance doesn’t cover a highly-recommended dentist, you’ll find teeth cleanings, and other dental work gets expensive. 

Most dental insurance plans don’t function in the same way as your health insurance. Many dentists have more flexibility in how they work with dental insurance providers. 

If your current dentist is no longer in your network, or you find a dentist that seems perfect but isn’t in your network, talk with them. They might offer payment plans or comparable rates to being an in-network dentist. 

But, if it’s not an option to stay with your first choice of dentist, as them for recommendations. Dentists understand that treatments are expensive, or that different dentists can help with different needs. They’re often connected enough to know another great dentist that works for your insurance or budget. 

Ask Your Friends

You can do this before you check your insurance (see above). However, it’s often more budget-friendly to find your top choices from within your dental insurance network first.

Once you have a few options, ask your friends if they know those dentists, how they work, and if they’re suitable for the whole family.

Friends and family understand the importance of a dentist who handles both kids and adults well. Your circle of friends will give honest input about a dentist and what they like or don’t like about a dentist on your list. 

Check the Location

A top-rated dentist can be tough to find. An excellent dentist that’s close to your kid’s school, your home, or your work is even more challenging to find. 

With at least two visits to the dentist per year for each member of your family, make sure your dentist is convenient. You’ll take kids out of school and take time away from work to care for your family’s teeth.

Unless you have unique circumstances or truly prefer one specific dentist across town, don’t compile a list of recommended dentists that are too far away. For instance, if you’re in the Toledo area, find a dentist in the area. 

Going to the dentist can feel like an inconvenience. Don’t make it a bigger hassle by choosing a dentist that is outside of your day-to-day area. 

Visit the Office

When you’ve done your research to narrow your dentist search, visit the office. 

  • Is it comfortable? 
  • Is it kid-friendly? 
  • Is it in a reputable location?
  • Is it clean?
  • Is the staff friendly and competent?

Ask about their treatment procedures. How do they treat pain when filling cavities? What products do they use for teeth cleanings? Make sure you’re comfortable with how they handle your mouth and your family’s mouths. 

Talk with the dentists and the staff. Most adults can adapt to a new dental hygienist and procedures easier than children. Make sure the staff and the office environment works well for your children. You don’t want your kids to dread going to the dentist twice a year. 

Verify Credentials

There are good dentists with training and experience. Then there are “budget” dentists who probably cost less but who might not be the best choice to handle your family’s dental needs. 

The American Dental Association (ADA) is one of the most well-known associations to help you find a reputable dentist. But not all excellent dentists register with the ADA. 

It’s not necessary to restrict your dentist search to only ADA-registered dentists. The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health, and the Academy of General Dentistry are a few other reputable organizations that support quality dentists. 

No matter your potential dentist’s organization affiliation, be sure they are fully qualified Doctors of Dentistry. Without that licensing, a dentist lacks the experience and knowledge to care for your teeth. 

After-Hours Care

Sometimes tooth emergencies happen on the weekend. When that happens, you don’t want to wait until Monday for relief from pain. 

What is your dentist’s after-hours policy? They don’t have to offer after-hours, emergency help in their office. But it’s critical that they can connect you to a local partner dentist who can help your family with an oral issue after office hours. 

Finding the Best Family Dentist Improves Smiles!

Turn your family’s frowns upside down. Finding the best family dentist for your family helps improve their smiles—in more ways than one!

Most dental practices have come a long way from a cold, intimidating environment. Many dentist offices have screens for kids (and adults) to watch movies while the hygienist works on your teeth. 

Going to the dentist doesn’t have to be something your family hates to do! Find the right environment for your family and a payment plan or in-network dentist that helps your budget. 

If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out some of our other articles to help your family stay healthy! 

Technology

How to Find Travel Topics For Your Blog That People Will Actually Read

How to Find Travel Topics For Your Blog That People


How to Find Travel Topics For Your Blog That People Will Actually Read

Would you like to write a travel blog but aren’t sure what to write about?

The world of blogging is full of interesting content that can entertain others. Blogging lets people look into the lives of others, and gather inspiration to do things.

Not only can you entertain people with a blog, but you can also provide valuable information. With a blog, you can post about several travel topics, such as how-to articles and advice.

Continue reading to learn about some ways that you can gather travel topics to write about.

Decide What the Goal of Your Blog Is

When you start writing a blog, you need to decide on what you want people to take away from it. Your blog should revolve around a specific theme. Writing travel blogs allows you to provide several topics to people, but you can’t be all over the place.

If your goal is to help people, you should write articles that help people figure out how to do things and provide travel advice.

If your goal is to inspire people, you can write about the positive things that come with traveling. You can also incorporate photography into your posts to show the beauty of the world.

You can also use a travel blog to document your life. People often use blogs to post about the things that they’re doing, the places they’re visiting, and what their plans are. 

What Do You Enjoy Doing?

You can come up with several travel article ideas by figuring out what you enjoy doing. If you’re someone that enjoys visiting beaches, you can write about cities that are on the coast.

Do you love food? You can be like Migrationology and travel the world to eat food. He goes around to different cities in foreign countries and writes about them and the food that he’s eaten. 

Basing your blog around the things that you enjoy doing will make it more personalized, but readers will be able to expect 

Discuss Travel Topics That Are Useful

One of the reasons that people read travel blogs is because they are planning on traveling themselves. They will want to read the information that they find useful because it will benefit them on their future travels.

Anyone can write about their travel itinerary, but you’ll make a difference to people by providing useful info. You can write about things like travel gear, places to visit, a country’s laws, and what there is to do.

Start Traveling to Get Inspired

If you’re going to write a travel blog, you need to have experience traveling. If you don’t have the experience, you need to, at least, have plans to travel. Without travel experience, you won’t be relatable to viewers.

Having already traveled will allow you to answer questions that you had before traveling, which are the same questions that others ask. You’ll also be able to provide realistic information.

Traveling is a unique experience that lets people learn more about the world. Seeing new places, meeting new people, and eating food that you’ve never seen before will make your mind flow with new travel blog ideas.

During your travels, you may pick up new hobbies or take an interest in a certain lifestyle. This will give you content that you can use for your blog.

If you’ve never traveled before and are interested, you can look into a travel agency to help you plan a vacation. They will help you with hotels, activities, and provide you with more information about the locations that you’re interested in.

Travel Blog Advice

Here is some advice that you should consider if you’d like to make your travel blog successful:

Use Social Media

Social media is dominating the internet, with nearly half of the world using it. With social media, you’ll be able to interact with your audience and post more about your travels.

Platforms like Instagram allow users to post photos and videos to their profile page and “stories.” This gives people something to look at throughout the day, rather than waiting for a new blog post.

Post YouTube Videos

Creating YouTube content will give your blog a boost because you’ll be able to do more. With YouTube, you can post videos, polls, and photos. Users can comment on your posts, giving you a way to receive feedback on your content. 

You can use YouTube hand in hand with your blog, posting videos about your travels. People like to see videos because they provide a real feel of the environment at hand.

If you’d like to get creative, you can invest in a drone for videos of cities and landscapes. Pair your footage with smooth editing and music, then upload your video to YouTube and your blog.

Try New Things

Don’t be afraid to try new things. The whole point of traveling is to experience new things and go out of your comfort zone. If you aren’t willing to do new things, you’ll be limiting your creativity and traveling for nothing.

While traveling in itself is a new and different experience, you should open up to things of different cultures. This will let you think of new things to do, and you’ll be better prepared for future travels.

Start Your Travel Blog Today

Once you have decided that you’d like to start a travel blog, the first thing you have to do is make one. After you make one, think of some things that you’d like to do and places you want to visit.

Coming up with travel topics doesn’t have to be difficult, you just need to allow yourself to embrace the world. 

Feel free to browse our website to find more topics relating to travel!

Technology

Change Web Hosting in 2020 and Use These Principles to Find a New One

Change Web Hosting in 2020 and Use These Principles to


Change Web Hosting Providers in 2020 and Use These 8 Principles to Find a Better One

There are 1.7 billion websites online right now.

The way that those billions of websites sit on the internet is that they’re all hosted on physical servers that are hard-wired into the World Wide Web.

If you’re reading this article, you probably knew that already. After all, assuming you’re a website owner, you’ve probably had to go through the stress of picking a web hosting provider to get your site up and running.

While we get that you probably don’t want to go through that stress again, we really think that you should change web hosting providers (or at least consider it) next year to cash in on price and performance upgrades.

In this article, we offer some tips on how to find the perfect host to switch to.

1. Do a Reputation Scan

There are a lot of web hosts offering their services online. While many of them are good and dedicated to providing the best possible customer experience, other hosts aren’t.

Of course, no bad web host is going to advertise on their website that they’re bad. They’re going to promise you the moon and the stars and the moment that your credit card gets charged, they’re going to burn you.

To avoid getting bamboozled on your hosting experience, do reputation research on any hosting provider that you’re considering before signing on the dotted line. People’s online reviews should be telling as to what you can expect.

2. Look at Pricing

One of the top reasons why people change web hosting providers is that they want to cash in on better pricing. If you feel like you’re paying way too much to have your website hosted, you’re going to want to make savings a top priority in your plan to switch.

Web host pricing isn’t too hard to find. Just go on a host’s website and they should have their rates promoted on their front page.

As a matter of fact, any hosting provider that’s being coy about letting you know how much they charge is A) A scam company or B) A company that’s targeted at enterprise customers.

3. Watch Out for Promotions

One of the absolute worst parts about getting a web host is the bait-and-switch pricing schemes that they use. You know what we’re talking about.

A host flashes a great price in front of you and then 12-months later when your account auto-renews, your price magically goes up by 400%.

To make sure that you’re not caught off guard by promotional rates, understand how much your web host will cost when you to renew and shop based on that price rather than their low initial promotional rates.

Some hosts have price-lock programs that promise to keep rates the same. If you can find a host like that, jump on their offer.

4. Consider Upgrade Options

Different websites have different hosting needs. As your website grows, you may very well have to upgrade from one kind of hosting package to another.

Consequently, picking a web host that offers hosting plans that you can easily grow into is a big plus.

In general, a good host will offer shared, virtual private and private web hosting packages.

If your host only offers shared hosting, you might want to think twice about doing business with them since you may run into problems if a server migration becomes necessary.

5. Think About Customer Service

A lot can go wrong with your website. Your web host’s customer service team can either make solving those issues a breeze or a nightmare.

Read reviews regarding a web host’s customer service team. If you’re seeing that their group seems to be made up of unhelpful people that pass around problems and aren’t domestically based, you’d do well to avoid all of that.

Sometimes, you have to pay a premium for a web host that offers exceptional customer support. In our opinion, that premium is well worth it.

6. Get The Full Story on Unlimited

Just about every web host offers unlimited bandwidth, storage, sub-domains, etc. What they don’t tell you though is that they reserve the right to mess with your site if they feel you’re taking up more than your fair share of resources.

Ask what your prospective web host’s policy is on taking full advantage of their unlimited services. If they tell you that they will slow your site down or take your site offline if you scale too quickly, move on.

7. Always Go With a Trial

When you change web hosting, try to switch over to a host that ticks the boxes we’ve discussed thus far and offers a trial. Any web host that’s not willing to stand by their services by offering a trial or money-back guarantee is likely trying to take your cash and run out the door.

8. Ask Yourself if Migrating is Worth It

This post is meant to entice you to see what your alternative hosting options are. If you’re finding that new deals aren’t that much better than what you’re getting with your current hosting package, stay where you’re at.

There’s no point in undergoing the stress of a server migration if you’re not going to get something great out of your efforts.

Wrapping Up What to Look for When You Change Web Hosting

Most people that change web hosting providers enjoy better service for a lower price. If you stand to reap those benefits by making a switch, we recommend doing so!

Looking for more write-ups that can help you solve technical problems, improve your business and more? If you are, browse more of the content that we have featured on our blog now!

Business

4 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (Even for Recent College Grads)

4 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (Even for Recent


4 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (Even for Recent College Grads)

Are you a recent college grad looking for freelance writing jobs? 

Searching the internet for freelance work can be incredibly intimidating, even if you’re a seasoned professional. There’s a lot of scams and junk out there, so sometimes you might not know what will add value to your portfolio and what’s a waste of time. 

Whether you’re a recent college grad or looking for a career change, being a beginner in this industry is frustrating. Keep reading to learn some helpful tips that will get your career up and running. 

How to Find The Best Freelance Writing Jobs 

Building a freelance career is scary, and you probably have more questions than answers. The best thing you can do is start slow and build up a strong portfolio.

If you’re still struggling, here are four tips that will help any beginner land great freelance writing jobs: 

1. Create an Account on a Freelance Marketplace 

Freelance marketplaces are essential for any beginning freelancer. These websites bring together freelancers and companies looking for work such as blog writers, journalists, graphic designers and more. You can create an account for free and start looking for work immediately. 

2. Search Online Job Boards 

Another way you can search for work online is to try a job board. These sites are a little different than freelance marketplaces because they’ll often include links to external jobs that you’ll have to apply to through the company and negotiate your terms (rather than applying through the site). 

They often will include companies looking for full-time help, rather than just an article here or there. But they’re still a great way to get introduced to companies that are looking for work. 

3. Pitch Yourself to a Company 

If there’s a particular company or outlet you’ve always admired, find contact information and pitch yourself. This might seem scary, but part of being a freelance writer is pitching topics. So prove to them you’ve got what it takes by pitching yourself first. 

This cold outreach might seem intimidating, but sometimes you have to take some risks to get your freelance career off the ground. 

4. Start A Relationship In School 

Why wait until you’re out of school to find work? Start building relationships in college that could translate to steady writing assignments down the road.

There are a lot of different ways you can find companies and news outlets that work with students. Attend a campus recruitment event or do your own research.

Some of the biggest outlets in the world like Fox News have campus correspondent programs. Use these programs as an opportunity to get connected in the freelance writing world.

Improve Your Writing and Marketing Skills 

The content marketing industry is always evolving, so you’ve got to stay up-to-date on the latest trends to keep yourself competitive for the best freelance writing jobs.

Check out the rest of our site for the latest industry trends and helpful tips and tricks that will take your writing to the next level. This article on some of the best writing apps is a great place to get you started. 

Health

Do I Need a Medicare Supplement? Here’s How You Can Find Out!

Do I Need a Medicare Supplement? Here's How You Can


Do I Need a Medicare Supplement? Here’s How You Can Find Out!

Every day, 44 million Americans put their mind at ease because they’re covered with the help of Medicare. If you’re one of them, you’ll find that there are still some limits to what’s covered. You might wonder from time to time “Do I need a Medicare supplement?”

It turns out that you might if you meet certain requirements.

Making Frequent Doctor Visits?

If you have to visit your doctor fairly often, those costs are going to add up. If you have any of the 10 standardized Medicare supplements, you’ll be able to pay for 50 percent of just about every visit. Most Medicare-covered visits are going to get you at least halfway to the finish line.

However, if you’re paying half of twice the visits of the average person, you’re going to be in trouble. Those costs are going to start ticking upward and end up breaking past your coverage limits.

Copayments add up when you’re sick, need to see specialists, or are just at an age where you have to make frequent trips to the doctor. Even just managing an injury that you’ve recovered from can be stressful.

If you have Medicare Part B, your deductible is $185. That’s what you’ll have to cover before you start your coverage. Even then, you’re only going to have 20 percent of your average visits paid for.

Calculate what you usually spend on doctor’s visits in a month and compare that to the cost of supplemental coverage.

You might find that it’s cheaper to pay for that coverage than pay for your bills out of your own pocket.

Do You Need Quality Equipment

For aging people and disabled individuals, medical equipment is important to maintain their quality of life. However, when saddled with cheap or inadequate equipment, quality of life is challenging and people struggle to get around comfortably. The cost of quality equipment can be several times more than the cost of cheaper or lower quality medical equipment.

Medicare supplement plans cover equipment costs that could drag down the amount of savings people with disabilities have. Whether you need a walker, wheelchair, or hospital bed, the differences in quality are broad from the bottom of the price range to the top. If you’re unable to buy the best equipment, you’re likely to struggle with comfort or even the ability to just get from your home to your doctor.

If you buy a piece of equipment that costs $2,000, you might have a coinsurance policy that requires you to pay for $400 of that. However, if that’s most of your monthly budget for necessities, this could be a massive undertaking for you. Taking on costly expenses could lead you to take out personal loans or other funding options that you can’t afford.

Medicare supplements are great for taking care of those coinsurance costs. Because different plans are going to have different coverage limits, you need to shop around and compare what companies have to offer. With Medicare supplement plans, you should be able to stay ahead of costs.

Hospital Visits Are Costly

If you’re facing the possibility of an extended hospital stay, you should get the right insurance first. If you have a history of having to stay in the hospital for a week or two at a time, these costs are going to add up. In case you end up staying beyond the 60-day limit of Medicare, it’s going to cost you hundreds of dollars a day.

There is zero fee in coinsurance when you have Medicare Part A. You’ll be able to get into the hospital and stay as long as 60 days if you’re covered by this plan. However, if you find that you’re stricken with an illness that requires constant attention for a long time, you could pay more than $300 every day.

Beyond 90 days, the number jumps up to more than $600 a day. Staying in the hospital for three months costs tens of thousands of dollars without supplemental insurance. Look at your current situation what your doctor projects.

If this is going to be a problem for you, consider supplemental coverage. The right plan is going to not only cover those costs of staying in the hospital but potentially get you out of the hospital sooner.

Coverage While Traveling Is a Challenge

If you travel a lot for work or to see friends and family, you’re going to need to be covered, especially as you age. Foreign travel isn’t a priority for everyone but it’s a necessity for some families. Travelers insurance is often much more expensive than the Medicare supplements available.

Traveling puts you at risk for more problems than you’d face staying home. You could slip and fall, run afoul of some bad food, or end up catching something that doesn’t naturally occur at home. The consequences are dire as we get older.

Medicare isn’t going to cover any care you get outside of the U.S. or any of its territories. If you buy all of the supplemental insurance plans up to their limits, you’ll be covered with 80 percent of your medical emergency fees while traveling. This could be a real godsend if you need to travel all the time but have a fragile constitution.

Even if you’re currently in good health, you never know what’s going to arise in the future. Supplemental insurance is always a good idea.

Still Asking “Do I Need A Medicare Supplement?”

If you’re still asking yourself “Do I need a Medicare supplement”, you might have to dig deeper into your own needs. Everyone has unique medical needs, so it’s up to you to figure out what works best for you.

In case you’re searching for a caregiver, check out what people are looking for in the best ones out there.

Entertainment

Find Your Passion: 3 Interesting Hobbies for Adults

Find Your Passion: 3 Interesting Hobbies for Adults


Find Your Passion: 3 Interesting Hobbies for Adults

Are you feeling stifled by your repetitive daily routine? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, as much as ninety percent of American adults feel bored at some point during their everyday hustle.

But it may be easier to spice up your life than you think. Finding interesting hobbies that excite and inspire you is a great way to give your life new meaning and motivation.

Curious to know more? Keep reading to learn all about how to discover stimulating and inexpensive hobbies for adults. Let’s get started!

How to Find Interesting Hobbies

Everyone finds different activities interesting. So, how can you find good hobbies for you?

The best way is to try different things. Ask around about classes and events going on in your local community. Sample all of them and see what suits you the best.

Want some more specific ideas? Here are three fun, interesting hobbies that can bring passion and enjoyment to your life every day.

1. Try Cooking or Baking

If you love learning about food (and eating it), why not make cooking or baking into a hobby? After all, preparing food is a great way to relax, unwind, and get creative.

If you’re lost at first, take a cooking class to get started. From there, allow your unique tastes and inspirations to guide you. Before you know it, you’ll be impressing friends and family with your new hobby!

2. Pick Up a Childhood-Inspired Hobby

Do you ever wonder why you gave up the fun hobbies you had as a kid? Well, it’s time to reclaim your child-like sense of wonder. Think back to your favorite childhood activities for inspiration.

Whether you played a musical instrument, painted, played with live steamers, or climbed trees, let these past passions inspire you as an adult. Pick up where you left off, or try an adult version of your childhood hobby, like an indoor rock climbing wall.

3. Make Exercise a Hobby

If you’re interested in focusing on cheap hobbies, this one is for you. After all, exercising is completely free!

Not only is it free, but it’s also extremely beneficial to your health. It can boost your mood, lower your body weight, and even help you sleep better.

You can make exercise a hobby by making it fun in whatever way works best for you. Grab a friend and go jogging in your local park, ride bikes, or go for a hike. Just make sure that you create a solid place in your schedule for your new healthy hobby.

Have Fun!

Enjoy your brand new interesting hobbies and the sense of adventure and inspiration that comes with them. No matter what you enjoy, the most important part is that you’re making time in your schedule for activities that are meaningful to you.

If you’re not sure where to start, try some fun local classes, or look back to your childhood to recall what inspires you the most. Or, for a healthy twist, grab a friend and make exercise a hobby with an exhilarating outdoor activity or two.

Want to learn more? Check out our blog page for tons of great articles about hobbies.

Technology

Where To Find The Best Free Images For Blogs

Where To Find The Best Free Images For Blogs


Where To Find The Best Free Images For Blogs

Generating amazing content doesn’t just happen thanks to your creative abilities.

You also need the right digital marketing resources to make your content as valuable as it can be. This means investing in things like link building campaigns and funding online ads, or even just finding the best images for blogs.

Every blog needs an image if you want it to be successful. But, if you aren’t a photographer, paying for professional images can easily add up.

Thankfully, there are many free image sites out there to make this tool more accessible. If you’ve never heard of such a website before, don’t worry – we’ve made a list of some great ones to start out with.

Here are all the best places to get free images for blogs.

1. FreeImages

FreeImages is exactly as it sounds – the place to go when you need a photo, but you don’t want to pay for it.

Their stock is full of all sorts of captures. From candid shots of people who range in age and background to beautiful landscapes and wildlife, everything you need is right here.

The only catch? Some pictures will have varying restrictions and uses.

Be sure to read the rights you have access to before you download an image and put it on your blog. This will keep you in good standing with FreeImages and prevent any other issues from happening, like a direct conflict with one of the photographers who upload their shots to this site.

2. StockVault

Up next on the list is StockVault. This is a place where creatives of all kinds come together.

Photographers and videographers upload the works they want people to use. Then, bloggers, print media developers, and all other sorts of individuals find what they want and make it part of their campaigns.

Someone may be looking for an image of an old, abandoned building while another person may need the perfect shot of a person laughing or a beautiful home. Whatever it is needed, there are plenty of images for blogs available here.

Not to mention, StockVault also has presets, graphics, and textures available!

These can be used with pictures you download or on their own. Such resources are the final touch to make any blog post complete. Having them ready to go and easy to access can transform your creative process.

3. Unsplash

Unsplash is another great place to go for all the free images you need.

The site has a search function that is similar to any standard search engine. Simply go to the homepage, type what you’re looking for, and browse through the results that come up.

You will also notice suggestions for related, popular searches as you’re typing.

Not even sure what you’re looking for? Try using Unsplash’s Chrome extension.

They have a feature you can add that generates a new image every time you open a tab. The image is available to download right away. This can make content creation a more fun, inspiring process than what you’re normally used to.

4. Flickr

Flickr has no cost in terms of finances – but there are a few hoops to jump through on this site.

Every time you search for images for blogs, the best way to begin is by looking for “using creative commons license.” This search will result in a variety of free thumbnails for you to look through, of all sorts of visual content.

As some images catch your eye, click on them to see if you can actually use them on your blog or not. Each one will have specific rights and conditions, depending on the photographer who uploaded the image in the first place.

Most of the time, a photographer just wants a link back to their work. This recognizes them as the original creator of the content you’re using on your blog and can help expand their online presence.

There are some people who will want payment, or who will only allow photos to be used for certain things. Still, Flickr is among the most popular and most trusted sites for bloggers to find free images.

5. Dreamstime

If you enjoy using Flickr, you’re going to love Dreamstime, too.

This site also makes a big effort to protect the rights of photographers, while making it easy for other content creators to find free images. Everything is royalty-free and simple to find and download.

Just note, some images will have a cost, but these will only be around twenty cents!

That’s something that anyone can pay for, although it will add up over time. Stick to the free options Dreamstime has available unless you’re absolutely in love with one of the paid photos.

6. New Old Stock

What if the subject you’re blogging about is part of a specific niche?

This might make your search for free images for blogs a bit harder. But, thanks to the expansive depth of the internet, it won’t be impossible.

Take New Old Stock, for example. This is a free images site that is dedicated to sharing vintage photos with online users. Some of these will be real-time accounts of major points in history, while others will simply take you back in time to shots from everyday life.

Either way, the journey is pretty cool and very easy to access through New Old Stock.

7. Public Domain Archive

The Public Domain Archive works kind of like the way New Old Stock does, except it offers bloggers more variety of images.

You can find vintage photographs here, as well as modern captures and everything in between. All the content ranges from nature shots to city streets and buildings as well as people and things.

Such a variety is fun to explore and even better to make use of in any blog post. With so much to choose from, you may even decide to turn your blog into an interactive magazine.

Get All the Best Images for Blogs and Boost Your SEO

Why use images for your blogs, anyway?

Because these can improve your site’s ranking more than you might think. Images offer more content for search bots to crawl. Plus, you can name and caption an image with relevant keywords, or use it as a way to link elsewhere on your site.

Always do such SEO tactics with the photographer’s rights in mind.

To help you manage this part of your SEO campaign and more, sign up today.

Lifestyle

Find Out What Is Fashion Marketing So You Can Cut Out The Competition

Find Out What Is Fashion Marketing So You Can Cut


Find Out What Is Fashion Marketing So You Can Cut Out The Competition

The fashion industry is massive, bringing in $1 trillion in gross revenue per year.

Yeah, that’s “trillion” with a “t.”

So what is fashion marketing? It’s the outreach you’ll need to separate your product from the competition and succeed in the most cutthroat retail industry in the world.

Here are a few tips to help you get started and get an edge on the competition.

Have a Great Product and Know Your Niche

It all starts here, right?

A lot of people sell underwear, so if you’re selling underwear, it had better have something that sets it apart from the competition.

Better materials. A great story. An amazing fit.

Whatever the product is, you need to understand exactly what you’re selling and how it stacks up to the competition – so do your research before you develop your marketing plans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re asking folks to “Click Here” to buy grillz or selling winter parkas. All successful fashion marketing starts with knowledge of the product and research on the marketplace.

That’s the first job of your newly minted marketing team (even if it’s just you!).

Social Media Is Your Friend

When looking for sterling examples of just what is fashion marketing, look no further than social media.

Facebook. Instagram. Pinterest. Even Snapchat.

The fashion industry leads pretty much all industries when it comes to experimenting with social media.

After all, social media has become increasingly visual and fashion is nothing if not aan image-first industry. Studies have shown that fully one in three consumers have purchased an item of clothing after seeing it on Instagram.

If you hate social media, sorry – it’s critical you learn to love it or hire someone who does.

Find Great Influencers in Your Niche

Speaking of people who take to social media like proverbial fish to water, influencer marketing has become a huge part of what is fashion marketing in 2017.

What is it?

Put simply, influencer marketing is when a company or brand contracts with someone who has a huge, established social media presence in their target niche to promote a product.

It’s basically a celebrity endorsement for the 21st century.

Just how important is it? More than six in 10 fashion companies made influencers part of their marketing strategy in 2016, with another 21 percent planning on incorporating it in 2017.

Don’t Forget Your Ground Game

Social media is good to talk about because it’s accessible anywhere, but the soul of fashion marketing is still on the ground.

So go to trade shows, fashion shows, and make connections.

Showcase your collection. Do a trunk show. Co-sponsor an event.

The key is to have your digital marketing game set up so that when you do face the public with the product, the conversation can continue in the digital space with website, email, social media, and so forth.

The ground game is an opportunity for people who find you through the digital space to get a tactile experience–see the product, touch the product–and also an opportunity for those who have seen the product engage in an ongoing dialogue with the brand before they buy.

What Is Fashion Marketing? That’s up to You

With this much competition, the most important thing is to stand out. Take risks.

Some brands do their marketing through e-mail only. Some do massive stunts.

Others simply stand by their terrific product, tour the country doing shows, and rely on word of mouth.

No matter what, though, you need a good photograph.

A great picture, after all, says a thousand words. And that translates to dollars.