THE IDEAL CLIENT: ME

My experience as a customer made me think about how nutraceutical salesmen seem to ignore me.

I’m in a segment of the market better labeled “grumpy old men” (GOM).

Not seriously.

I know I’m in it because my wife keeps telling me. Old. Irritable. curmudgeon

And I feel ignored by the supplement companies.

How is that?

For one, I have subscribed to numerous alternative health newsletters online. What I have received is invariably so widespread that I get the impression that the companies that send it don’t even know I exist.

This is surprising, since I show two of the main criteria of an ideal client.

First, I have disposable income that I spend on supplements.

Second, I am very, very concerned about how to reduce age-related health problems.

That’s just a start.

If you’re doing some good research, you’ll learn some additional useful tidbits for marketing to me and my fellow GOMs.

Like everyone else, we have certain typical needs. We want to feel significant. We want you to get to know us and recognize our biggest health concerns.

Talking to me and my fellow GOMs will also tell you that we don’t consider ourselves “old”. We despise feeling outdated or alienated from the mainstream youth culture.

We are increasingly concerned with longevity.

We are readers and information seekers. This feature alone makes us sensitive to advertising.

Okay, so there are a few main features you can use to persuade me to know you, like you, trust you… and buy from you.

GOMs represent more than 10% of the US population. Adding our female age group to the equation more than doubles the size of the market.

I am more than a customer who feels ignored.

I am also a marketer who has figured out how to hit the market for my segment. And the strategy I discovered works for all other market segments as well.

My experience marketing a paid subscription newsletter illustrates what I found.

The conversion rate is around 30%, with subscription renewals around 75%.

That’s a pretty good conversion and a very low abandon rate.

What I did was first survey my free subscription list to find just one demographic: seniors with the same health issues as me.

I then sent that group to a landing page designed specifically to address their needs.

That’s all.

THE EASIEST WAY TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL

What I have described is widely known among marketers who use email marketing.

This practice is known as list segmentation.

In other words, sculpt a particular segment of a larger subscriber list, and then address the particular needs of that segment.

Conceptually it is nothing new. Just tap into the old marketing adage about finding out what people want and then giving it to them.

What I did has three key components that apply to all markets.

1) Define and select a target segment from a larger list.

This is pretty simple, as email hosting services have already set up the technical steps for list segmentation.

2) Create persuasive marketing copy that hits all the hot buttons for that segment. This is crucial to getting people in your target segment to take the action you want them to take, i.e. buy your products.

In a nutshell, this step is all about communication. If Anthony Robbins’ definition is correct (and it is), communication is the results you get.

If people aren’t buying, you’re not communicating.

3) Rinse and repeat for each segment you want to hit.

There is no limit to the number of segments you can define in your list.

I have mentioned only a few. The number seems limitless.

My greatest writing mentor, Joshua Boswell, once mentioned that he divided a client list into 72 segments. 72!

My experience is not unique. It’s a common story that applies to all segments of marketing in all industries.

Wait, there’s more!

ADDITIONAL BENEFIT TO YOUR ROI

Discovering high-value customers through list segmentation also has a beneficial flip side. Allows you to remove ‘lazy’ subscribers.

I don’t want to be cynical here. The truth is, he probably built his list based on a piece of bait, a free offer of some sort. That is a good start. People love free stuff.

However, the vast majority of people who get free information will not buy from you. Most likely they will even ignore your emails, without unsubscribing. They just stay on your list forever, without buying anything.

While that can be disconcerting and even annoying, it can also be expensive. Email hosting providers charge more as your list grows. Removing “everlasting non-buyers” allows you to narrow your list down to actual and potential buyers.

Therefore, the cost savings can be substantial. And spending time and money on just who’s left can skyrocket your ROI.

NEXT STEPS

So far, I’ve just outlined the concept of list segmentation and what you can expect from it. It is clearly a fundamental strategy behind successful email marketing.

Of course, all the high-tech bells and whistles of list segmentation still depend on persuasive copy. Ultimately, that’s what drives every marketing strategy, no matter the platform.

That’s where I come in.

Blogs have become very, very popular in recent times and that popularity continues to grow by the day. Many blogs are run solely as a social outlet to share views, interests, information, etc. with friends and anyone else who wants to read. The vast majority of bloggers are not particularly interested in using their blogs as a means of generating income but some people have taken advantage of what is a great profitable opportunity.

However, if you are considering the latter option, simply sitting in front of your computer and typing will not generate the money you are looking for. So how can you turn your blogging into a viable business? There are a number of ways in which this can be accomplished. Here are some tips to get you started and hopefully help you turn your hobby into a profitable career.

First of all, obviously, if you don’t already have a blog, you should create one. Two of the most popular platforms these days seem to be ‘WordPress’ and Google’s ‘Blogger’. One big advantage of blogging sites is that they are usually free to set up and use. These are very easy to set up and there are plenty of how-to videos on You Tube to help you with this.

Second, you need to decide how you are going to generate income streams from your blog. There are several ways to do just that. The most popular way is to place ads on your blog site. There are several internet based companies that will place ads on your site for you. You will then receive a financial reward every time someone clicks on one of these ads. Google AdSense is one of the most used. An alternative is to sell a product or service from your website and use your blog to attract customers. Sort of a combination of these two strategies would be to advertise someone else’s product on your site and then get some sort of commission from that person. Whichever method you decide to monetize your blog, you need a plan, a strategy to follow consistently to maximize your profits. Once you have your blog and strategy in place, it will be your path to a blogging career.

The third and most important step is to drive traffic to your site. Once your blog is set up, it will only be effective as a source of income if people visit it. Internet marketing, to a large extent, is a numbers game. The more traffic you can drive to your website, the more people will read your blogs and other content. According to the law of averages, more visitors equals more sales and/or ad clicks. So how are you going to drive that traffic to your blog site? In this the use of keywords is important. There was a time when keywords were almost the only criteria. That is no longer the case. Search engines now respond to activity (ie new serials, backlinks, etc.). You need high-quality content on your site to drive search engine traffic to your blog.

Blogging is an enjoyable hobby for many, but there is also the potential to build a profitable business if you are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn how.

Market intelligence is concerned with what sells in a market climate characterized by intense competition and constant change. These should include data on competing products, competitors’ internal processes, market size, market shares, customer preferences, potential expansion areas, and marketing strategies. Market intelligence KPIs provide accurate analysis of the data collected on these aspects and are valuable in defining what type of products or services a particular company should offer and in developing strategic product development and marketing programs.

That there are always new but similar products on the market should not surprise anyone. Some of the products are even practically carbon copies of each other, except for a few insignificant differences. The products that go on the market are the result of market intelligence. Obviously, analysis of market intelligence data suggests that the market is large enough to allow other products with similar specifications to enter.

Research is the main tool for marketers to determine what will sell. KPIs for market research will logically focus on competing products and brands in the market, market size, and market shares. Analysis of the market size and shares that define the performance of competitors, when related to product brands, specifications, territory coverage, pricing, and the strategies employed, provides marketing managers with insights into which types of of products to sell and which market segment to address. Market research tools that marketers typically use are surveys, product recalls, product testing, and product positioning.

While market research is crucial to market intelligence, there is another type of research that is just as important: competitor analysis. In general, the success of a company depends a lot on the competition. This type of research will largely deal with companies that produce the same products and their customers. The idea behind competitor analysis is that the best way to gain a foothold in the market is to know the position of the competitor and their customers.

Competitor analysis is useful in several ways. First, one gets to know what makes a competitor’s products click. It could be due to quality, price, visibility, an effective distribution system, and many more. Second, all of this information helps a competing company align its products and strategies with existing market conditions. Strategies may involve producing a product that can compete efficiently with other brands, capturing an untapped segment, or creating a new market.

Along with research on competing companies, research on their customers will also be helpful. It pays to know what a customer likes or dislikes about your competitors’ products and services. In addition to providing invaluable insights into customer preferences, which goes a long way in ensuring that products gain the necessary market acceptance, it also prevents companies from making tactical mistakes.

Technology is another area where market intelligence research is helpful not only to marketers, but also to companies’ overall effort to stay ahead of the competition. Customers are naturally more inclined to buy products that give them the most comfort. That’s why manufacturers and service providers are always looking for new technologies that make their product easier to use.

Market intelligence KPIs related to market intelligence components are ineffective when they cannot provide a company with a complete picture of market conditions. Market research, competitor, and customer analysis KPIs should always contribute to accurately measuring the effectiveness of formulated BSCs for market intelligence programs and strategies.

Make the post transformative

Try and understand what is the transformation you want your audience to have after reading the blog post you are going to create, it is about how they are before and after reading it, how they feel and what they got out of it. , The transformation. This is a good way to summarize your blog post for the rest. How To Do Your Best Content Creation | 10 tips

outline your thoughts

Once you have your transformation in mind, working backwards from it is how you create your outline. Now no matter how you end up creating your outline, you can do it using a mind map, I like to use sticky notes. However you choose to do it, just make sure you take the ideas in your head about this particular transformation and just lay them out and that will help you organize for later, this will be the skeleton of your blog post. Try to have your outline in place before you start writing, it will make your life a lot easier, trust me.

Start by attracting readers

It doesn’t matter what type of content you are creating, a blog post, an article, etc. The first thing you have to realize is that you need to start strong. People will go there because of you or the topic, and unless you hook them at first, they won’t want to continue. The purpose of your blog post intro is to get people to read on, the purpose of the first sentence is to get them to read the second sentence, and so on. So start strong, well how do you do that? There are many ways to do it, but I personally like to start with a story. Human beings love stories and seem to get more involved when it comes to a story. Make sure the story relates to who your transition audience is.

I also love asking and prompting certain questions that can pique the audience’s curiosity, or you can start with a really interesting fact or concept that might not have been heard before. All these things will help your readers to continue reading and feel like there is something worth reading.

Do not write in WordPress

Well, you might be wondering what I mean by this and wondering, well, where do I write my blog post? I recommend against writing in WordPress because of not being able to save your progress frequently and the tendency for it to crash and well what happens then? You’ll lose everything you just spent time creating, sad huh?

Be confident with your content creation using Google Docs. Google docs is free and has an auto save feature which is awesome. It’s also easy to access and share, you can organize your content into separate folders, separate categories and all sorts of things to make it really easy to find later and it’s all there in your Google Docs. Another thing when you start is just writing, don’t start editing while you’re writing, just write as much as you can and clean it up afterwards, that’s why it’s called editing.

Relevant and interesting title.

These are very important because they are things that people see before they get to your blog post, make sure they are eye-catching and attractive to your audience. This has to do with SEO – search engine optimization, really one of the best forms of organic traffic and very important in content marketing. It will give you the best chance of being found organically through search engines like Bing, Google, Yahoo, etc. Make sure your headline is relevant and makes people want to click by arousing curiosity. If your title and description aren’t interesting, no one will click.

Make your blog post scannable

Don’t make your blog post one big paragraph, give your readers time to breathe by adding white spaces, which are breaks in your paragraphs. Adding different sections to your outline is more visually appealing and gives readers better mental markers.

Use images to break up the text

Try to include visuals in your blog post such as images, graphs, charts, and all sorts of things to support the points you are making in your blog post. Don’t go overboard with this, it’s very easy to do so make sure you use your preview button to really see what this looks like in the eyes of your readers, it’s a good way to see if they’re positioned correctly and if it makes sense.

Don’t just add random images, they have to support the whole concept of your post. This is also a text division that makes your post easier to read and gives people something nice to look at on a subconscious level, almost something memorable. People are visual learners nowadays, so doing all of these things is really beneficial for you and helps you stand out from the rest of the bloggers in this world.

Include a call to action

Well, tip #8 is a very important tip, especially if you want to get results from the blogs you’re doing. Be sure to include a call to action, it doesn’t necessarily have to be at the end, but I recommend it. Although your call to action can be mentioned throughout your post, in the end it seems to be the most rewarding for me when it comes to making money online. Try not to overdo it, 2 calls to action is enough per blog post.

Check before posting

Please review out loud, I cannot stress enough how important this tip is. I swear I catch just as many mistakes when reading out loud as when I’m just reading to myself in my own mind. In my opinion, this is the best way, your audience will be like hawks, picking at your mistakes, post by post, day by day. No one is perfect, so give yourself the best chance of coming out with the highest quality post possible by reviewing out loud. Also, having someone you know who can help you edit can be an advantage for you, highly recommended.

don’t be a perfectionist

There is no such thing as the perfect blog post, you will hurt yourself by delaying the publication of your content by trying to strive for perfection, your best bet will be to learn as you go and evaluate your posts later with analytics. I keep making mistakes to this day as you won’t be perfect so do your best and the experience will come. Take all of these tips and put them into action to give yourself a better chance with blogging for whatever your need may be. After all of this is done, hit publish and don’t worry about being perfect.

If you have a comment to share, please do so. Thank you for reading.

Life as a college or university student can be as daunting as hell or as easy as a breeze. Many candidates enjoy the latter scenario because they have mastered the art of How to make money online and flatly refuse to be a struggling student.

They are just sick and tired of;

• Student finance office chasing them for outstanding fees
• Having absolutely no money to enjoy luxuries.
• Landlords scold them for rent
• Having to study while subconsciously worrying about extra money
• Working strange hours at jobs they don’t even enjoy

This is typical of a world where college students are working almost on the ground trying to pay for his education. They know the discomfort and humiliation of repeatedly having to deal with the unhelpful finance team in the back office. The situation can be even more challenging when you are limited to options like;

1. Live without food and pay for college or

2. Drop out of college to work full time and come back later.

So what can be done to alleviate the situation?

Fortunately, there are some creative ways to pay off any educational debtalthough most of the students don’t have a lot of money. The reality is that students have not been taught the basics of saving and risk assessment. Inevitably, this should be part of the learning curve and orientation during the first year of college, if not the last years of high school.

And what about the students who can pay off their educational debt and earn a living using the very creative method as mentioned above? What is this method and how does it relate to making money online as a struggling student?

One of the most creative ways to pay off education debt is through the affiliate marketing method.

The hardest thing about affiliate marketing is knowing the what, why and when process of becoming a successful marketing affiliate.

The guesswork can be taken out of the process by simply reviewing different products, eBooks, and websites submitted by current successful students.

For affiliate marketing program to work for students Out of all walks and areas of life, you need to address at least 3, if not all 5, of the following;

1. Provide excellent marketing support material.
2. Provide comprehensive tutorials and authentic case studies on how to build a successful affiliate campaign from start to finish.
3. Being able to be part of a community or forum that offers valuable advice from affiliate marketing experts.
4. Provide administrative support at no additional cost.
5. It has been tried and tested successfully by many people, from novice to highly experienced.

It is important to go through a due diligence process and with the easy access to research via the internet today this should not be a problem at all. The beauty of the online marketing approach is that it is low cost, with a low barrier to entry. and therefore ideal for students with little access to start-up capital. There is absolutely no reason why a student with basic computer skills can’t tackle their debt load through a tried and true affiliate marketing program.

Here are our top 10 tips to optimize your website’s on-page SEO

1. Create high-quality content

The important thing to optimize and improve the on-page SEO of the blog is to produce the best possible content. Quality content that interests your audience. Content that solves your audience’s nagging problems while giving them what they’re looking for.

2. Optimize titles

The headline may be the first thing your readers see, so you need to entice them. It is also the section that Google first considers when ranking a typical page. To boost the on-page SEO of your website, you need creative but also optimized titles and the main keyword must also appear in the titles.

Use the 70 characters that Google displays in search results and make use of the main keyword. The higher at the beginning of the title, the higher.

3. Optimize URLs

Although some CMS like WordPress or Blogger create URLS automatically, if you want to improve SEO that is on the website page, always customize them. The blog post URL needs to be short but content-rich and relevant. Remove empty spaces by using hyphens between words.

4. Create links that are internal

Every time you write an article that is new to the blog, create links in the content that result in other articles on your blog as long as they are really related, of course. Because?

1. It gives Google ways to navigate your website and can rank your website better because links help transfer authority from one page to another and reinforce topical relevance.

2. Provide your readers with valuable information as you enrich your content with other useful information. Take a look at point 6 and you will see what we are talking about.

5. Connect to external pages

Linking to external websites offers great value to your visitor as it gives them more information about what you are talking about, of course you really need to link to pages related to your content within the anchor text.

6. Optimize your images

Optimize the weight and size of the images before uploading them to the article.

Add the “alt” tag to any or all images, using the main keyword.

Fill in the “Title” tag descriptively and using the main keyword.

Add a description to the image.

Use an image compression plugin like Smushit for WordPress.

7. Post regularly

Google likes websites that are updated frequently. So create an editorial calendar and stick to it. You don’t have to post every day, but do post more often than once a month. And stay regular. Same day and same time if you decide to post once a week, always do it. Your readers will thank you.

8. Optimize the content

The body of this article is where you need to work the hardest, as it is exactly what your visitors will read. We’ve said it before but we say it again: the content is offering great value to your audience and it becomes of great quality. Focus on solving readers’ problems and giving them what they are looking for.

Having said that, to boost on-page SEO of your website, your main keyword must be found in your body, but in addition, the variant words associated with the main keyword are other related keywords and synonyms. Because?

Because Google doesn’t rank a page using just a single keyword, it looks at most of the content (on-page SEO) and external factors (off-page SEO) to see if the content is applicable.

9. Optimize meta descriptions

The description that is the meta of the page or blog is exactly what appears when you look at the search engine results below the title and URL.

In addition to being one of the factors that Google uses to rank a website, it is one of the best methods to encourage visitors to click on your own article and not on another.

The meta description must be seductive and suggestive so that a person will click on your publication.

10. Optimize loading speed

Another very important factor to improve SEO on the website page is the loading time. The smaller it is, the better, because Google likes pages that load fast. You’ll want to make sure it stays under 0.5 seconds. The person who clicked on your link might get bored and click the back button too if it takes ages to load. You can check your page speed using the page speed insights tool.

Do you think there are other approaches to improve the on-page SEO of your blog? Is it possible to tell us your secrets? Leave a comment below and discuss everything you do to optimize your site.

Landing pages must be eye-catching to drive conversions.

Design and copywriting work hand in hand to make sure landing pages get the job done. The graphic design eases the path from the top of the page to the call to action. CTA encourages users to go one step further.

Here are 6 ways graphic design can be used to improve landing pages:

1. Allow users to view content and other offers as “real”

Although the products offered on the web can be fast and convenient, their disadvantage is that they are not tangible. When items seem solid, users can associate themselves with them in a positive way. For example, an e-book can look like one you see on the shelves when it has a complete and professional cover.

2. Tell a story through illustrations, as well as text or photos

While photos can easily capture the interest of users, nothing could compare to an illustration when it comes to encapsulating a brand’s distinctive style. It can communicate a brand message more effectively than stock photography, especially when it’s lighthearted, creative, or humorous.

3. Reinforce text by using meaningful icons

Icons prove to be powerful as they pack a lot of meaning even in a small space. These symbols are like colors in the way that they elicit quick responses due to unexpected emotional associations. Check marks and trophies are “positive” icons that associate users with success.

4. Let CTA Buttons Stand Out Using Contrasting Colors

A landing page aims to get users to click on the call-to-action (CTA) button. At first glance, the CTA should stand out even when users are scrolling quickly. This means that a CTA button should have contrasting colors instead of complementary ones.

5. There should be leverage directionality in graphic design

Users tend to follow directional cues when in front of a desktop computer. As an example, the person in the photo establishes a connection with the user. Since this same person is looking in the user’s direction, he tends to direct the user’s attention, which is better for a CTA or signup.

6. Use real people for photos instead of models

Today, users closely examine the level of “authenticity” that a brand demonstrates. To them, standard photos are artificial and don’t seem as reliable as photos of real people. To address this issue, it’s best to include photos of team members and customers on your landing pages.

Powerful graphic design is a crucial part of landing page usability.

Before publishing a landing page for the first time, it’s best to make sure that the visuals on the page reinforce the text. Users must be able to see the visual message clearly, whether they are using a desktop computer or a mobile device. If so, the landing page will be effective.

Managing a right-of-way (ROW) project that spans multiple states and estimating the associated cost and schedule has long been a complex problem. Typically, an enormous amount of effort goes into collecting and researching information, negotiating, and ultimately ensuring compliance with the laws to record the transaction. Standardizing and maintaining common practices throughout the organization, especially those that operate in multiple states and support various internal processes, pose other challenges. More amazing is integrating a ROW management system with the company’s financial assets, images and accounts payable management systems. As ROW-informed staff retire or relocate, more and more companies are realizing the high cost of retaining the knowledge base and transitioning to the new workforce, especially in light of internal and external processes. constantly changing. This is a rapidly growing concern given the imminent retirement of baby boomers from the workforce.

Today, with many e-Government and e-filing initiatives, some of these pains will disappear. This article discusses a fairly standard way to obtain rights-of-way and the significant savings that come with electronic document management, workflow automation, and electronic collaboration with government agencies. Using an electric power company as an example, this article shows how an end-to-end ROW acquisition process can be managed.

A lifestyle

Traditionally, the first activity with a ROW project is to develop a budget and schedule estimate. This estimate has multiple components and its precision varies depending on the level of experience of ROW staff and the quality of information available to them. Cost of ownership, labor, documentation, and legal fees are certainly key factors on project managers’ minds. Large projects are more vulnerable to budget overruns due to the size and complexity involved. On large projects, a project manager leads a team of agents who coordinate various activities, such as surveying, negotiating with property owners, and perhaps the painful eminent domain or eminent domain process. This team of agents is responsible for completing easement documents that comply with local and state laws. To add to the complexity, each state and local government has specific dictated forms based on the particular type of property owner (corporation, person), notary clauses, etc. In addition, the team must select from several alternative routes and easements and then file documents with status and multiple recipients and distribute reports.

A plethora of paperwork

These legal recordable documents are complex and vary greatly by state and type of owner. Added to this is another set of internal forms and various letters sent to owners and other interface bodies. This process requires a great deal of effort and experience for an agent to understand and complete the required paperwork within the utility, not to mention all the permutations of state and local government forms.

Despite expensive training or recruitment of specialized skill sets, document generation is error-prone and time-consuming. If the document is submitted incorrectly, late, or not appropriate, the cost and potential liability for these errors are significant. Although the agent negotiates with the property owner to define the proper legal documents, the project manager must deal with the resulting liabilities. At the very least, wasted time slows down an already cumbersome process and delays project completion. Missing approvals and other document errors can be catastrophic for the project.

For the utility industry, there are no uniform document standards across many state, county, and local governments, resulting in hundreds of potential legally recordable documents, letters, and forms. Complex legal disputes, especially around eminent domain processes, can take a long time, sometimes years. Incorrect or late submissions may result in penalties and further delays. As Project Managers can coordinate multiple projects at the same time, each with multiple agents in different geographic areas under various state and local requirements, it is clear that Right of Way workflow is a problem that cries out for simplification.

A non-profit organization exists to serve some need or group of people. It is good for an organization to have ways to measure its health and effectiveness in improving on its stated goal and mission.

The step that precedes measurement is the mission statement. This is the standard against which action can be taken. Without a clearly stated goal or mission, it is almost impossible to answer the question “how are we doing?”

The first measure, then, is to see how well the organization is communicating its goal or mission. There are two places to look to find out how well the communication is working. The first is within the organization itself. How well do people within the organization understand the purpose they are serving? This is especially important when it comes to people whose tasks are not directly involved with the fulfillment of that mission. For example, how well does the receptionist understand the purpose of the organization? If everyone at all levels understands the mission, there is a greater chance that the message will be communicated to those outside the organization.

The second measure is how well an organization’s goal or mission is communicated outside of the organization. Publications, outreach activities, and media events are examples of the types of activities an organization must engage in to communicate its purpose. Measuring the effectiveness of disclosure can be done directly, through surveys, and indirectly through informal interviews and questions to people who come into contact with the organization.

The third measure of health is the financial condition of the organization. Is income coming in to cover expenses? Is income increasing? Are there adequate internal controls in place to ensure that the financial situation is accurately reported? These are important considerations, because a lot of good work can be interrupted if money issues are not handled properly. There may be a greater disconnect between time served and money coming in, because the work is not necessarily tied to a direct increase in income, as is the case with a for-profit organization.

The fourth measure is efficiency. Can the organization improve its production by spending less money? Overall revenue may increase, but efficiency must also increase so that each incremental dollar produces more output than before. If efficiency measures are not taken, the likely scenario is that more money results in less production until the organization collapses under its own administrative weight.

The fifth measure of health in a nonprofit organization is growth itself. Are new members coming to the organization? Is revenue coming into the organization increasing? Are more people or needs being served? Top-line growth is an important indicator of the health and growth of an organization. When an organization stops growing, it begins to die, like any other living and changing thing.

I’m sorry, but the ugly truth is, I don’t know anyone who wants to sit through a two-hour photo slideshow of their last vacation. They may be interested in hearing and seeing some photos, but not a continuous narration of every detail with photos for each one. Of course, if you serve food and liquor, they might stay longer, but they’ll still be bored before the show is over.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take as many photos as you want on your trip, but it does mean you should pick some of the best ones and just show or display those key photos. I discovered a great way to take my best photos, photos that gave an idea of ​​the trip and the location in general. And don’t overwhelm anyone with too much information.

The way I do this is to go through the photos when I get home and pick about 7 or 8 of the best ones from the trip. Then I create a montage (think quilt with irregularly shaped squares or rectangles) that fits nicely on an 8 X 10 print. Then I create a small 3-4 sentence paragraph about time and place, maybe even content one or two of the photos.

I then frame this 8 X 10 in a 10 X 12 frame and place the descriptive paragraph just below the photo in the frame. I usually put these mounts on the wall in our living room or family room. People can look at the photos, read the paragraph, and if they are more interested, they can ask to see more. I also make prints to send to family and friends to give a brief description of our vacation.

This style of montage and short description works great for any event, celebration, or photo adventure. It also lends itself to scrapbooking and other ways to store and display information about what’s going on in your family and life. I have several that have to do with fishing trips, school reunions, and many other memorable places and experiences.

You can also put them in photo albums as the first page of the selection of photos about the trip. If you or others want to see more, keep turning the pages of all the original photos in the size you want to print them in the album.

My wife often makes a copy to take to the office and put on her desk. She has several that are of children of different ages and holidays on the wall in her office. She changes them every once in a while for a little change or adds a new one if it’s the latest fling.

Most photo editing programs will allow you to crop and size your photos and place them in the montage. Many of the camera manufacturers include this type of software with their camera or you can even find some free programs that will do the job, like Gimp or Picasa. Just do a Google search to find the latest versions.

You can even save the files as jpeg and take them to your local Walgreens or photo printer for a very high quality print if your inkjet printer isn’t up to it. If you’re looking for specials or have a coupon, you can get an 8 X 10 print for around $2.

You can also turn these 8 X 10 montages into screen savers or desktop backgrounds for your computer. Use them any way you would use a single photo. I guarantee that if you start making these small montages you will be hooked. It’s fun and they make great quick views of any event.