Where are you sitting for Thanksgiving Dinner?

If you want to avoid arguments at Thanksgiving, you may want to look at this Thanksgiving seating flowchart!

 Source: http://www.thatsnerdalicious.com

Coupons Can Get You Customers

Coupons should be a part of your local online marketing strategy. If they aren't, you should reconsider. They can drastically impact the effectiveness of existing marketing efforts by increasing the number of people who convert off your website, emails, social media accounts and more.

Online coupons can be used to attract new customers who may not be aware of your business and existing customers who either need a reminder to come back, or should be rewarded for their loyalty to help turn them into a champion of your business (especially on social media).

Online coupons make customers happy; science proves it
Recent research has correlated coupons directly with brain chemistry linked to happiness. People who receive $10 coupons have 38 percent higher Ocytocin levels, 32 percent calmer breathing rates, 5 percent slower heart rates, and 20x less sweaty palms. You can’t make this stuff up.

How do you choose the right online coupon for your business?
Choosing what to offer depends on your local business’ economics and what is attractive to customers. We like to start with your cost of acquisition. How much are you currently spending to acquire a new customer and what is their average lifetime value (the profit you see from a customer from their first visit to their last)? Those are metrics that many local businesses don’t track, but can be calculated on the back of an envelope pretty readily.

Make online coupons attractive for customers too
Studies show that there is a vast improvement in effectiveness when you offer at least 20 percent off. In the age of daily deals, less than that is more easily dismissed. Customers also like definitive amounts they can value, like $5, $10 or $20 off. They can understand those offers because they have concrete value.

The real coupon challenge is about controlling distribution
Your most important challenge is not creating the offer, but making sure it gets in front of potential customers. In fact, that’s why Groupon commands half of a pre-paid offer—they have a 30-million email customer email list and you don’t (yet). And that of course is why local Internet marketing is more important than ever.

Coupons improve the effectiveness of all your distribution channels
Coupons improve the conversion of each and every channel and they should be spread across all of them. On local business websites, we see 3-4x improvements in conversion by putting your coupons prominently upon them. We see similar effects on Facebook, Twitter and email as well as one other important effect—loyalty and retention increases.

Mobile geo-targeted coupons bring together acquisition and distribution
One great way to use coupons is to combine them with mobile marketing. Our studies have shown that mobile marketing currently has the highest return on investment (ROI) of any channel—even greater than email marketing. Taking an effective coupon as discussed above, you can target people in your ZIP code on their mobile devices as they walk or drive by or as they sit on their couches browsing their iPads.

Go forth and coupon!
So that’s the basis of a good online coupon strategy. We think that businesses should always have an active coupon (or coupons) to use across their distribution channels. Local businesses should always be increasing their email lists with mobile coupons, converting more customers on their website with coupons and offering their loyal customers reasons to come back with coupons. It’s a lot cheaper than the cost of acquisition and builds marketing assets that grow in value.

So what are you waiting for? Go forth and coupon!


Source: http://bizjournals.com

Facebook, Twitter plagued with fake accounts

The competition for advertising and users between Twitter (TWTR), Facebook (FB) and  upstarts like SnapChat is revving up, with social media players fighting expand their reach as much as possible.

Yet while social networks are trying to prove their worth to advertisers, the proliferation of fake accounts can make it hard to figure out exactly how many users are tuning in online. Indeed, many social media users buy fake followers from people who run automated Twitter accounts, or bots (short for robots). Automation in the form of software can outwardly act like a social network user:

Some researchers estimate that there are 20 million fake accounts on Twitter. The bots are rented out to multiple customers, which makes them seem more real.

Another problem for social networks: dormant accounts. Both Twitter and Facebook talk about active users in a month, but what that means exactly is unclear. If you click a Facebook "like" button on a third-party site eve only once a month, you're considered an active user, even if you never log in to the social network. It's likely one reason Facebook pushes to be used as a way to authenticate users on other sites. Not only does it get more information, but it helps plump its official user base, which is a key ad metric.

Here's who Twitter counts as an active user: "We define [monthly active users] as Twitter users who logged in and accessed Twitter through our website, mobile website, desktop or mobile applications, SMS or registered third-party applications or websites in the 30-day period ending on the date of measurement."

That would seem to include people who use Twitter to verify their identity on third-party sites, though there isn't the same type of "like" button mechanism that could more broadly suggest activity that is negligible.

Combine bots and inactive people on Twitter and the results can be eye-opening. Justin Bieber in April had an estimated 37.2 million followers. But fully 42 percent of those consisted of either bots or inactive accounts, according to Forbes. For Lady Gaga, the number of real followers was only 22 percent.
Most advertisers are aware of this problem, as the low ad rates for social networks suggest. But it present another obstacle to growth even as these firms try to demonstrate their value.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com

10 Brands That Changed the World

They don't just influence our spending habits, they tell us who we are.

The 23rd Annual Stillwater Nutcracker!

  

Performances are November 29th 30th and December 1st

Friday, November 29th -- 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 30th -- 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Sunday, December 1st -- 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm

Tickets are $15 each. All seats are reserved

All Nutcracker performances are at the:

Stillwater Area High School
5701 Stillwater Blvd. N.
Oak Park Heights, MN 55082
(Please do not call the High School for tickets.)

Source: http://www.stcroixballet.com

Back in time: The Telephone Comes to Town

In today’s society there are a wide number of ways people can contact one another. They can fax each other, use their cell phones, email, text or tweet, Facebook or other new ways to connect on important matters. It seems as though people talk to each other without actually doing the talking. The home telephone seems obsolete.

When Alexander Graham Bell introduced the world to the telephone at the 1876 Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia, it seemed almost like a miracle. Now someone could have a conversation with someone else without having to stand right next to each other. The public was floored!

It didn’t take long for this new invention to make its way across the country. The first franchise to construct a telephone exchange in Stillwater was granted to the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company on Nov. 18, 1879.

By: Brent Peterson of  http://stillwatergazette.com

Tips for Building Wealth

There are a few things that you can do over your lifetime to grow your wealth.

Live Within Your Means

Number one, live within your means.  It’s pretty hard to grow your wealth if you are always trying to buy the latest and greatest.  Especially to feel good about yourself and to look good in front of others.  This is not about keeping up with the Jones’.  Especially by not buying a house that will eat up most of your income.

Track Your Spending

Number two, know where your money is going and what you are spending it on.   There are many places to save money in your budget.  Paying off high interest credit card debt is the first step and then cutting back on expenses like gas and groceries and eating out.  Eating healthier can actually cost less than what you would spend on other foods. When it comes time to buy another vehicle, buy a used one.

Invest

Number three.  Invest regularly by setting up an automatic payment plan which takes money directly from your checking or savings account and puts it directly into a investment account.  For someone who has not done well in the past at saving money this is a great way to begin.

Live Healthy

Number four.  Have a healthy lifestyle.  Get enough sleep and exercise to relieve stress, and eat well to feel better and to have more motivation towards you goals of building wealth over time.  Many of the most recent studies have shown that one will make better decisions in their life according to how well they feel., so living a healthy lifestyle will help you make better decisions.

The Stock Market

Number five, invest in stocks.  Stocks continue to be the best investment over the long term.  The average annual return on stocks is around 8 to 10 percent which can make a big difference if you plan on building wealth over time.

Dividends

Number six, re-invest dividends.  The dividends that you receive from investments  should be re-invested in order to take advantage of the compounding interest, which over time, can be huge in building wealth.

Source: http://www.about.com

Sara Tells her Success Story

Many of the readers of the Stillwater Patch will connect with the story of Sara Hayden of Oak Park Heights. Over the summer she earned the name “The Pie Lady” from the fellows at Lift Bridge Brewery, and most recently she’s been baking out of Chris Aamodt’s kitchen at the orchard.




You can order from Sara any time of the year by visiting RusticPiesofStillwater.com or calling 651-208-4247 . It’s a pleasure to support small business owners whose passion for what they do comes across in every item they produce, or client they serve. That’s something you only get when you “Tour Main Street!”

Source: http://www.sarastipsypies.com

Deliverability Tactics to Improve Your Holiday Email Program Results

 During the holidays, the mood for most marketers can be best described as hope mixed with a dash of uncertainty. True, it's impossible to predict how this season will compare to years past; but there are a few things you can be sure of: There will be an increase in email volume, it will be more challenging than ever to rise above the noise, and you will be expected to extract as much value as possible from your holiday email program.

While there are a number of strategic maneuvers you can take to address these known issues, one very tactical area of focus is critical to everything you do this season: Deliverability. Here are five ways to reduce subscriber complaints and avoid hitting spam traps—the things that make it difficult (if not impossible) to reach the inbox.

1) Check That List Twice
It goes without saying that sending relevant mail to interested users is a GREAT way to drive conversion. On the other hand, sending email to a list of subscribers who haven't heard from you in five years is a GREAT way to get sent to the bulk box or be blacklisted. ISPs are looking at engagement to help determine how to disposition email, and that old list is a huge red flag. If you haven't been in regular communication with your subscribers and you're choosing to leverage the holiday giving season as an opportunity to ramp up your outreach, start now, start slowly, and let us know ahead of time—we can help you avoid many common pitfalls.

2) Be a Good Little Drummer Boy/Girl
Don't let your email cadence throw your holiday ROI completely out of step. Before sending that additional offer that inevitably presents an opportunity during peak purchasing season, ask yourself if it is relevant and valuable to subscribers. Log, understand, and learn from what happens to your KPIs when you increase cadence.

3) Ask for a White Christmas
Make it a goal to get as many subscribers to whitelist your email program NOW—before your holiday program hits full stride. Use your pre-header to ask subscribers to add you to their address book. This always helps you reach the inbox.

4) Give the Gift of Choice
ISPs prefer mail that is two-part text or html. So offer subscribers the gift of choice to receive a text version of your message and the ISPs will consider it to be a little gift that sets your emails apart from ones sent by spammers (they often skip creating two versions of their emails because of the extra time it takes).

5) Look Your Holiday Best
A 2012 BlueHornet consumer study found that 69% of consumers delete an email and 13% unsubscribe if messages looks bad on a mobile device. Incorporate a mobile version of your holiday email messages. You can place a link in the pre-header that takes the user to a mobile optimized version of the creative, or use responsive design coding, where the creative adapts to the screen that the consumer is viewing your message on.

These guidelines can be used any time of the year, but they're never more important than now to ensure holiday email program success and peace of mind. And while these five tactics can be implemented by every email marketer, we understand that each business is different. If you're facing unique challenges that require additional deliverability assistance, please give us a call. We're here to help.

Happy Holidays!

Source: http://www.bluehornet.com

Axdahl's Holiday Season

Axdahl's Garden Farm & Greenhouse is transformed into a winter wonderland at Christmas time. The week before Thanksgiving visit Axdahl's to find your special Christmas tree. Whether you want a tall or short tree, Frasier or Balsam, you're sure to find just what you're looking for here!

Shop in the big red barn or outside for the perfect tree. You'll find the highest quality trees at affordable prices. Get a fresh cut on your tree, have it wrapped and tied to your car for you at no additional charge! It's easy and fun. The hardest part for you will be deciding which tree to take home. They are all so beautiful.

Enjoy free hot cider and hot chocolate while you select other holiday decorations. Choose from an assortment of
• beautiful custom decorated wreaths adorned with high quality ribbon, pine cones and other ornaments you select
• custom decorated swags
• fresh cut boughs
• cedar & balsam garland roping
• spruce tops

Christmas time at Axdahl's Garden Farm & Greenhouse provides a lovely, non-commercialized atmosphere that's just off the beaten path!

Source: http://axdahlfarms.com

Beautiful Rooftop Patio

Discover some great views of St. Croix River and see the fall leaves from heated rooftop patio. The best spot to enjoy beautiful  scenic views in Stillwater!

Photo credits: http://www.stillwaterrafters.com

Guess Who Else Will Be Open on Thanksgiving?

Best Buy is the latest retailer to open up earlier on Thanksgiving Day this year. The Minneapolis-based electronics chain will open at 6 p.m. nationwide on Nov. 28, much earlier than last year's midnight openings.

Stores will remain open throughout the night and close at 10 p.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, Nov. 29.

"Last year customers clearly showed that they wanted to be out shopping much earlier on

Traditionally, the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, is one of the biggest shopping days of the year as retailers open up in early morning hours and Americans gear up for the holiday season. But over the past several years retailers have pushed opening times earlier and earlier into Thanksgiving itself. This year, Toys R Us, Macy's, J.C. Penney, Kohl's and others have announced opening hours on Thanksgiving evening.

The retailers say it's what customers want, but they are also trying to grab as many dollars as they can during the key holiday season, which can account for anywhere from 20 percent to 40 percent of annual revenue. Even as the U.S. job and housing markets improve, shoppers have scaled back because they are uncertain about the future.

There's also more pressure on retailers this year because the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is six days shorter than in 2012.

Overall, the National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, expects an increase of 3.9 percent in sales for the November-December period, up from 3.5 percent last year.
Thanksgiving," said Best Buy spokeswoman Amy von Walter in a statement. "Our plan this holiday is a direct result of that feedback and provides multiple opportunities for our customers to shop in-store and online, whether at 6 p.m., midnight or on Black Friday."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Romantic Gondola of Stillwater

On the morning after the U.S. Gondola Nationals, many of us were hosted by Mike O'toole at Gondola Getaway - an operation that started there over thirty years ago in Alamitos Bay.  Looking back even further, gondolas actually operated there back in 1910. The canals there were designed with Venetian gondolas in mind and many were brought in shortly after construction.

Standing on the docks there, you can feel the history all around you.
A hundred years ago there were several gondola operations in places like this - many in Florida and California.  Many decades later the fire was re-ignited by Mike O'toole.  It was great to be invited for a breakfast cruise, seeing old friends who row there and meeting some of the new staff.

The operation recently added a few new boats to the fleet including this full-sized gondola which has been named "Erla".
I'd heard many things about this boat, so when I saw her being prepared for a cruise, I reached for my camera.

Gondolier Ben Landis was busily primping the boat.
I waited for him to finish and asked him to pose with the boat.

A hundred years ago, boats just like this plied these very waters,
rowed by guys with just as much pride in what they do.

Looking through the photos of that day, this image caught my eye;
it seemed so timeless, and then I realized that if I just dropped the color from the photo, we'd have a picture that matches the history of this place.

Source: http://www.gondolagreg.com

Roswell the Painting Horse

The Stillwater Art Guild Gallery has an artist whose work has sold out several times already in the gallery.  Elizabeth found out that it isn’t just the paintings that are resonating with the art buyers but the artist himself.  The artist is a sixteen year old thoroughbred named Roswell!

An OTTB, Roswell tried a number of undersaddle careers, none of which were very successful. Once referred to by a trainer as "put together with spare parts", he wasn't fast enough for the track, couldn't jump high enough for a jumper, and though somewhat successful in dressage, sidelined by a knee injury. That injury has probably ended his undersaddle pursuits but has also been a blessing in disguise. Needing to find an means of entertainment for Ros (sitting idle in a pasture was not his idea of fun), I introduced him to painting, and he has found his career at last! Now, Ros wants to use his passion to help other horses.

He donates %50 of proceeds to the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation (as well as other charities as asked along the way) 

Source: http://twincitieslive.com

5 Epic Tech Fails

1. When a Twitter hacker rocked the stock market


In April, a false tweet posted on the Twitter account run by the Associated Press sent stock markets plummeting within seconds. Hackers had taken over the newswire’s official account and tweeted a claim that the White House had been bombed and the president had been injured. While the tweet was stylistically suspicious—the AP would never refer to the president as simply “Barack Obama,” and the agency usually writes Breaking to announce a developing story—it still incited market panic: The Dow dropped over 140 points, but it quickly recovered after the AP addressed the hacking.

2. When Apple Maps put people in jeopardy

While Apple’s infamously unreliable Maps app has been merely a nuisance for most users, it was downright dangerous for those who wanted to visit the Australian city of Mildura. A flaw in the app placed the town 40 miles away from its actual location—and within Murray-Sunset National Park, part of the arid Australian outback, where water is scarce and temperatures can exceed 114°F. After local police were called to the park six times to rescue visitors stranded by navigating with the Apple Maps app, they issued a public warning describing the flaw as “potentially life-threatening.”

3.When Motorola shared personal data

In February 2012, Motorola revealed that 100 used Xoom tablets it had provided to the Internet retailer woot.com for resale still contained personal data from the original owners. Because of an error during the refurbishing process, information that normally would have been erased—photographs, documents, and, potentially most troublesome, user names and passwords—had not been deleted from the units. To compensate, Motorola offered affected customers a two-year membership in an identity theft protection service.

4. When the Super Bowl had a blackout

In the days after a power outage delayed Super Bowl XLVII and shocked viewers, wild rumors circulated about the cause of the blackout. Had Beyoncé’s megawatt performance overloaded the system? Was it some kind of cyberattack? The culprit, utility company officials revealed, was actually a device that had recently been put in place to prevent such an outage. Known as a relay, the device had been installed as part of a major upgrade to the Superdome’s electrical system in anticipation of the big game. Whether the relay itself was faulty or if user error had caused the device to fail is still in contention.

5.When the Segway didn't catch on

The Segway may have debuted to great fanfare (Steve Jobs predicted it would be “as big a deal as the PC”), but this self-balancing electric scooter is now considered little more than a novelty. You may see tourists zipping around on them in major cities, but sales never took off. To compound the sting of Segway’s lackluster performance, in 2010, James W. Heselden, the British businessman who owned Segway, fell to his death from a cliff when his scooter malfunctioned during a tour of his estate.


Source: http://www.rd.com

Don’t Worry

“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself,” Matthew. 6:34.

How often do we think worry will solve our problems? It seems that if we spend our time consumed with worrying about something, a new idea or solution will come to our minds. And yet, does it? Has worrying about something ever brought a new insight or a new and better way of seeing the situation to your mind? Likely, it has only led to more worry, frustration and fear. And yet, we all know this is exactly what Jesus told us not to do; when we’re afraid, He wants us to lean on Him for peace (John. 14:27).

We all worry — it seems it’s a human reaction to something that bothers us, but unfortunately, this worry can lead to what we call “ruminating thoughts,” or thoughts that circulate in our brains and can find no resolution but only make us more wound up, less peaceful and much more anxious. And when we are anxious and wound up, we know we are not at our best.

We are reactive, we are less forgiving, and we don’t trust. We become more protective of ourselves and more isolated, as if doing so will keep us safe. If we think about this logically, does such behavior ever lead to a feeling of safety, or does it only lead to more anxiety and worry?

If you feel worried today, turn to God. Give Him your problems and concerns, asking Him to help you stay calm and give you a solution to the situation you face. Ask Him to enlighten your mind and to send you someone who has an answer to the problem you need to solve. If we do this in full trust that He can and will help us, we will only need to stand back and allow Him to be Himself. Don’t worry, just trust.


Source: http://stillwatergazette.com