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Slinky.com.au is a portal for your life in business and lifestyle.
We bring you business tips and strategies from professionals, lifestyle ideas from adventurers and World travellers, relationship advice from dedicated dating pros and relationship experts as well as home and garden tips and ideas from experts in their fields.
Chief Editor
Larry is our chief editor at slinky.com.au and is responsible for the content and quality of their publication and ensuring that stories are engaging and informative.
All our editors and writers are skilled professionals with decades of experience in lifestyle, academic and business writing.
Latest Business & Lifestyle Posts
How to use storytelling in your social media content
Alright, social media savants and storytelling enthusiasts, gather ’round! We’re about to embark on a journey through the magical world of storytelling in social media. It’s gonna be more exciting than finding out your crush likes your 3-year-old Instagram post at 2 AM!
But first, let me spin you a yarn from the social media trenches. Picture this: It’s 2017, and I’m managing social media for a client who sells… wait for it… artisanal, hand-crafted toothpicks. (Yes, that’s a thing. No, I don’t know why people need fancy wooden sticks to pick their teeth, but here we are.) We were posting product photos and specs like there was no tomorrow. Engagement rates? Lower than my motivation to go to the gym in January.
Then, we stumbled upon the power of storytelling. We started sharing the tale of Old Joe, the toothpick whittler, and his quest to save the world one splinter at a time. Suddenly, our engagement skyrocketed faster than you can say “once upon a time.”
The moral of the story? In the world of social media, a good story can turn even the most mundane product into a viral sensation. And that, my friends, is why we’re here today.
So, how do you weave storytelling magic into your social media content? Well, grab your favorite caffeinated beverage (or a glass of wine, I don’t judge), and let’s dive into the art of social media storytelling!
- Know Your Audience (Because You Can’t Tell a Story to No One)
First things first, you need to know who you’re talking to. It’s like throwing a party – you need to know who’s coming before you can decide between pin the tail on the donkey or a wine and cheese night.
Here’s how to get cozy with your audience:
- Create buyer personas: These are like imaginary friends, but for marketing. Give them names, jobs, hobbies, fears, dreams. The works.
- Use analytics: Most social platforms have built-in analytics. Use them. They’re like a crystal ball, but with more pie charts.
- Actually talk to your customers: Revolutionary concept, I know. But actual conversations can give you insights that data can’t.
I once worked with a client who swore their target audience was millennials. Turns out, their biggest fans were middle-aged dads. We had to quickly pivot from avocado toast memes to dad jokes. The lesson? Never assume. Always investigate.
Details7 Garden Styles To Consider For Your Landscape Design
When you employ landscaped designers to plan and create a new garden, you could be in one of three scenarios with regard to those plans. The first is that you have no idea what you want or what is possible. In this case, you will rely heavily on your landscape designer to present an array of options and possibilities and to even make the choice for you with regards to your new garden’s style.
The second scenario is that you may have some ideas and preferences but need a landscape designer to bring them together into a feasible plan that can be implemented. Finally, some will know exactly what they want down to every detail, but would still like a professional landscape design architect or designer to create the plan.
If you are just setting out on the journey towards your landscaped garden, and are basically on square one, then what can help your progress is knowing what styles of gardens are possible. Although each landscaped design will be different, within them there will be styles that prevail and upon which the individual garden will be based. There are many garden styles to choose from, but to get you started, here are 7 of the most popular.
Modern
For those who might have a contemporary home or who simply prefer their garden to look like it was created in the 21st century, not the 19th, then this is the style for you. Modern designs will include features that are square or rectangular, sober coloured (greys, whites), will certainly have modern lighting and the most likely materials will include composites, concrete, and steel.
Mediterranean
With some European countries like France and Italy famous around the world for their gardens, it is little wonder that the Mediterranean style is highly popular. The sorts of plants included are likely to be exotic with lots of colours whilst typical features include small ponds or fountains with classic designs such as arches, pillars, and tiles.
Details4 Dental Health Tips You Did Not Know Existed
Given the amount of information that has been published in relation to how we should look after our teeth, not to mention what advice our dentist gives us each time we visit them, you might expect most people to have a reasonable level of awareness with regards to their oral health.
In fact, most people do indeed know the basics such as regular brushing and flossing, not eating too many sugary foods, and having regular checks-ups. The problem is that not everyone follows those basic oral care principles, which is why dentists have to fill cavities, pull rotten teeth, and replace them with alternatives, on a daily basis.
Even those that do follow a proper oral health routine every day are not fully aware of every aspect of that care. We are not talking about knowing as much as your dentist, or even your dental nurse, but instead, being aware of some of the lesser-known tips about caring for your teeth and gums. Facts such as these…
#1: Brushing Is Not A ‘Fix-All’
DetailsAre You Gripped By these 3 Adwords E commerce Mistakes?
To drive quality traffic to your e-commerce website, apart from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), AdWords is one of the most successful techniques. That said, if scantily handled, it can lead to immense capital wastage. Check out the 7 AdWords mistakes which when corrected can unleash the complete prospective of AdWords and attain the utmost possible ROI.
- Continuing to Run Ads of Out-of-Stock Items: An instance of putting your investment to flames with zero return is when you keep running ads of out-of-stock products on your online shopping portal. It is a sure sign that you are facing trouble keeping record of your outsized inventory. Utilize the neat ways available to keep track of all the products as to what is in stock and what has been sold out.
- You can use– the Google Adwords script, recently written by Russell Savage, to automatically manage your entire stock. This will assist you to mechanically pause the advertisements of the out-of-stock items and save you ample cash.
- Not Constructing Granular Accounts with Adverts for Every Item: The success trick with Adwords is to construct granular accounts which direct the adverts towards the category pages, subcategory pages and also the product pages. Yet, a huge number of advertisers are unaware of this fact. Not writing adverts for each stocked item is a huge mistake that should be corrected immediately. Writing ads per product allows the owner to make profit on the increasing number of clicks and conversions as buyers looking for the most suitable items are usually delayed in the buying cycle. For an idea 5-10% conversion rate is pretty common. Handling thousands of items can be intimidating.
7 Positive Benefits Of Enrolling Your Dog In Doggie Daycare
Have you ever thought about or are you currently thinking about putting your dog into dog day care? Are you unsure as to whether it is the right thing to do for your dog? As a caring dog owner, naturally, you will want to do everything right for your dog, and given that doggie daycare would mean quite a significant change to your dog’s daily routine, is understandable why you would want to be sure before deciding to do so.
Ultimately the decision is yours, given that you cannot ask your dog what they think, although we guarantee some dog owners are reading this who will ask their dog anyway and look at them to see if there is any reaction. We know that for sure because we would be doing exactly the same. Anyway, to help you make your decision, we thought it would be useful to highlight the main benefits of doggie daycare, so here they are.
Doggie Daycare Benefit #1 – It Allows You To Go About Your Daily Routine
Whilst many of these benefits directly and positively impact your dog, this one is purely for you. Just as placing a child in childcare makes it easier for its parents to work, study, or simply go about their daily tasks, the same applies to dog owners who place their dog in doggie daycare each day.
DetailsHow To Keep Your Dog Calm And Relaxed When You Groom Them
One of the difficulties many people have concerning dog grooming is not how it should be done but that their dog is uncooperative. This can manifest itself in behaviours that range from them being frisky and seeing the whole scenario as an excuse to play to a dog trembling with fear when it sees its owner approach them with clippers and brushes.
Thankfully, the National Cavoodle Association of Australia say that the vast majority of dogs will sit still and happily let you brush them, as in many cases, they find this soothing. Even when it comes to the point when the trimmers come out, they are still cooperative. However, what do you do if your dog is either uncooperative or, in the worst case, genuinely nervous when you start grooming them?
That latter scenario is the one that pains most dog owners as they hate the thought of anything they have done to cause their dog distress. So, if you have a dog that shows a degree of nervousness all the way up to being frightened, here are some ways you can relax them and help them to realise that being groomed is nothing to be nervous or fearful of.
Take Them For A Long Walk Beforehand
The less nervous energy your dog has, the calmer it will be, so to burn off as much of their energy as possible, you should take them for a long walk with lots of fetch games. By the time you get back and start grooming, they should be less energetic.
Details5 Reasons to Hire a Cleaning Service When You Move
Moving house can be stressful at the best of times, but even more so when the move is from a house of independence into retirement housing where you can receive a helping hand. That’s why organising a professional cleaner can be crucial. You’re already facing enough stress without having to worry about leaving your property spotless.
However, if you’re not yet convinced that arranging commercial cleaning services is necessary, the following benefits may just change your mind.
You Can Focus on Packing and Moving
When you have lived in the same house for several years, potentially even raising your family in it, there can be a lot of possessions stored over time. You might have boxes and boxes of memories stored away in cupboards and garaging and countless photos and knickknacks lining the walls and shelves.
Going through everything, packing it carefully into boxes, and labelling them for moving can take a considerable amount of time and effort. You may not be able to give it the care and attention it requires if you’re busy focusing on how much cleaning you have to do once you’ve emptied your home of everything.
You May Not Be Physically Able
When you move into retirement housing from your own home, you may be doing it for a reason. You may no longer be physically able to keep up with maintenance, or you have an illness that’s making it challenging to live independently.
Therefore, it makes sense to hire a cleaning service if you’re not physically able to clean your home to a high standard. Cleaning companies and individuals scrub, mop, vacuum, and use plenty of elbow grease to make way for the new occupants.
DetailsDon’t Make Any Of These 10 Mistakes During Your Work Visa Application Process
The application process that you go through to be granted a work visa in Australia might seem fairly straightforward to you, and if you have read and understood every aspect of how the application process works then you may well have all you need to proceed. However according to migration agents Success Migration, for most applicants that is not the position they are in.
Instead, they barely glance at the regulations, they fail to follow the correct process, and then they wonder why their application has been refused. The most likely cause is that they have made one or more of ten of the most common mistakes which result in an applicant’s work visa application being refused. We hope you do not become one of them, and to help you further ensure your application goes smoothly we have listed those ten mistakes which you must avoid.
Not Seeking Advice: If there is one error which if avoided would eradicate almost all the other mistakes work visa applicants make, it is not seeking proper professional advice. Immigration experts and lawyers are there to help, so use them. Also, there are many websites which have useful advice regarding work visas.
Failing To Fully Understand The Visa Process: Following on from our point about seeking advice, if you do not, then you risk not following the proper procedure for a work visa application. This can mean either refusal, or your application not even being processed in the first place due to errors.
DetailsHow To Remove Red Wine Stains From Carpets
There can be few liquids which cause as much consternation and anguish if they are spilt on a carpet as red wine, with the immediate thought often being that no amount of carpet cleaning is going to remove it.
Apart from the obvious loss of a glass of what may have been a very fine red wine, it is as important to know what you should never do in order to prevent your carpet from being permanently stained, as it is to know what you can do.
The most obvious thing that everyone thinks they should do is try to rub the spot where the wine was spilt. This is going to cause more problems than it solves, so no rubbing the stain.
Instead, there are several techniques used by the top commercial cleaning professionals which you can use to remove red wine stains, but before going into them in detail, here is the first step you should take before any of them.
DetailsThe Pros And Cons Of Dental Implants
Anyone searching for a means to replace a missing tooth, or worse, several missing teeth, has several options available to them. Some the cheaper options include dentures and crowns, and at the other end of the price range there is dental implants. With them costing a considerable amount per tooth, they can be beyond the budget of many people, but if they are a financially viable option for you, then they are certainly worth considering
To help you with that consideration, we have outlined several pros and cons of dental implants. As with any dental procedure or tooth replacement option, dental implants have advantages and disadvantages, so it is important that you consider both the good and the bad before you decide if dental implants are the best choice for you.
Pros Of Dental Implants
They Are The Most Durable And Longest Lasting Option
Probably the main reason why dental implants are so popular is that, once fitted, the person who has them is unlikely to need any further treatment for years. Dental implants provide a durable and strong replacement for missing teeth, and they can last as long as 20 years if cared for properly.
DetailsTop Bathroom Trends of 2021 and Beyond
If you have been considering bathroom renovations, it’s only natural to think about current trends and those that will stand the test of time. After all, given how much of an investment a new bathroom can require, it’s a space you don’t want to renovate too often.
The problem is, the previous owners of your current bathroom probably thought their design would last forever. Now, it’s outdated and non-functional. Before you make some costly mistakes, consider the following trends below.
Modern and Organic
Black and white have been a common renovation theme of choice for several years. It’s still a popular option in homes being constructed as we speak. However, many homeowners are now ‘softening’ those contemporary colours by adding organic materials into their design.
They might break up the black and white with a beautiful wooden vanity. Or, they may even opt for wooden flooring that adds some warmth to the space.
DetailsHow Can Unlawful Termination Impact Mental Health?
Different situations at work can have significant impacts on a person’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. Things like unlawful termination have been shown to have close links to poor mental health, especially if you don’t have a strong support network around you.
If you’re working through an unlawful termination case, you need to be aware of the possible mental health effects you may experience. Awareness is the key to dealing with things before they become too serious, especially in the case of mental health.
In light of this, we decided to put together a short guide outlining what unlawful termination is, how it can impact mental health, and the possible combined effects of the two issues.
What Is Unlawful Termination?
In general, unlawful contract termination or unlawful dismissal refers to any occasion when an employee is fired without following the relevant laws. This could include:
- Termination that doesn’t comply with the terms and conditions of your contract.
- Termination with of racial, sexual or other discriminatory motives.
- Termination because of performance issues the employee wasn’t aware of.
- Termination to fill your position with someone who will be paid less.
In general, unlawful termination cases are complex, and they can require significant legal intervention. Because of this, they can have quite serious mental health impacts.
Details7 Tips To Ensure Everyone Stays Safe Around Your Concrete Pool
Having a concrete pool on your property can bring you many advantages such as adding value, and the no small matter of you and your family having fun in that pool. However, concrete pools also means that you have a responsibility to ensure that anyone who is in or near your pool is safe at all times.
We are not saying that you need to go to lifeguard school, although it would not do you any harm, but, instead, you can implement a number of safety measures and protocols so that anyone using the pool, be that friends or family, do not come to harm. Here are those safety measures:
#1 Install A Safety Fence Around The Pool
There has been many a tragedy caused by children managing to get onto a property that was not their own home, entering a pool, and sadly getting into trouble with no one around to help them, or even realising they were there This is why we suggest that you install fencing or some other kind of barrier around your pool area, or your property as a whole.
#2 Automatic Safety Shutters
Having safety shutters that close across the top of the pool means that no adult, child, or even a pet can gain access to the pool when there is nobody to supervise them. These normally operate by simply pressing a button, and ideally one which incorporates a key switch so that no one can open the shutters without your knowledge.
DetailsWhat Shared Parental Responsibility Means For Divorced Parents And Their Children
There is a core principle within Australian family law which basically means that whenever a couple gets divorced or they separate, the parental responsibility for any children they may have is shared equally. A family lawyer will explain to you that even if the child’s two parents are not on speaking terms, and one regards the other as an unfit parent, the Family Court will order joint parental responsibility in almost all cases.
We say almost all cases because although shared parental responsibility is usually the default position, there are some circumstances in which instead of shared, sole parental responsibility will be ordered, although it may only be temporarily. The reasons for this are very narrow and only apply in cases where one of the parents is deemed unfit to have the responsibility.
This will be where a parent is known to be violent or abusive towards their child, or the other parent. Another example is when one parent is absent and there is no expectation of being able to contact them, and even if possible, they have shown that they have no interest whatsoever in the welfare of their child.
Other than these types of examples, which thankfully are rare, the presumption will be that shared parental responsibility will exist. This places a legal obligation on each of the child’s parents that any decisions they make will be in the best interests of that child. In addition, they will be expected to discuss and agree upon any of the major decisions that will impact the child and their upbringing.
DetailsOnline Business Strategy
A well rounded online marketing strategy will give you the competitive edge you need. Your digital marketing strategy is just as important as any of your other core business processes, because most of your customers are online, and that’s where you need to be to advertise your products and services.
Most services included in our online business strategy package are also available as standalone services for your convenience. When it comes to internet marketing and online presence, every single aspect of your online website strategy supports the other, and you can gain a significant advantage over the rest of the competition if all elements of your marketing strategy enhance each other’s effect.
What is a Comprehensive Online Business Strategy?
Your online business strategy is comprised of a number of elements including:
- Web Design Techniques and Hosting
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Social Media Marketing
- Online Presence (on relevant platforms)
- Industry and Competitor Analysis
- Ecommerce Strategy
- Targeted Digital Advertisement
- Marketing Campaigns
- Gaining and Engaging Traffic on your Website and on Social Media Platforms
All of these elements require your undivided attention consistently, and need to be adapted according to the changing local and global trends.
Details7 Advantages Of Pet Enclosures For Pets And Their Owners
If you are a pet owner, we are sure that you do everything you can to make your pet’s life as enjoyable and rewarding as you can, and part of that will be when your pet is outside and getting the essential exercise they need. This can take many forms, but one option that is becoming increasingly popular with pet owners is pet enclosures, which offers pets, and their owner’s, many advantages.
Pet enclosures are suitable for many domestic pets such as cats, dogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs. In fact, any pet which would feel at ease in an outdoor environment that is large enough to allow them to do many of the things that they enjoy, is an ideal candidate for a pet enclosure. So let’s look at some of the advantages of a pet enclosures for pet owners and their pets.
Cost-Effective
The size of pet enclosure you need for your pet will depend on their size, but whether it is a small or large pet enclosure, it will almost certainly be cheaper than having a custom and permanent pet enclosure built. This means that you have a cost-effective solution to providing your pet an outdoor area that should last them many years.
Easy To Assemble
You do not need to be a DIY expert to assemble most pet enclosures, and if it has been custom-made, it should still be relatively easy to set up. Most pet enclosures need only the most basic assembly, with some able to be made ready for use without even the need for tools.
Details10 Unusual Corporate Event Ideas
We often see business owners scratching their heads as they cannot think of any ideas for corporate events that haven’t been done to death. The reason many of them have, is simply that they work and are successful , however, if you want to organise a corporate event which is somewhat unusual then here is a list of no fewer than 10 you could try.
#1 Themed Gala Dinner
Having a gala dinner that is themed is great way to turn what would otherwise be just another dinner into something special. The theme options are endless with ’50s Rock & Roll’, ‘Rio Carnival’, ‘1930s Chicago’, and ‘Star Trek’ some to think about.
#2 Pop Up Vending Machine
Admittedly this might not work for every product or service, but it can bring tons of publicity for your business, is a lot of fun for staff, and the ”vending machine’ you set up in the shopping mall can simply be a mock one created by your marketing team to look like one.
#3 Axe Throwing
This is a fun event where everyone gets to throw axes at targets with the most accurate scoring the highest number of points. This event can last for the full day as other than the actual axe throwing competition there are other team building activities that your group will benefit from.
#4 Scavenger Hunt
This can be done with large or small groups and can be as basic or as high-tech as you like. Basic will involve maps and written clues, with the high-tech option utilising geocaching and GPS receivers.
DetailsWhy Do Our Office Drains Stink and How Do We Fix It?
Although smelly drains certainly aren’t the worst office plumbing problems you could experience, they can still be quite a pain. Identifying the cause of nasty drain odours can be difficult, and getting rid of them can be even harder again.
Many business owners will call out a professional plumber, such as Plumbers Perth, when they can’t figure out why their drains stink – and that’s quite common. However, there are numerous things that you can do on your own to get rid of unpleasant smells, and we’ve outlined a few of them in this article. But first, let’s look at some common sources of bad drain smells.
Why Do Our Office Drains Stink?
There are numerous reasons for office drains to stink. In general, they are just like normal residential drains, but a lack of water flowing down the drain can make smells more of a problem. If the clean water in a drain’s water trap isn’t replenished regularly, nasty smells are more likely to come up.
DetailsHighly Recommended Responsive Web Design Patterns For Use Today
Firstly, we need to understand what does responsive means and why we need it once we do that than half of our trouble to find out best responsive web design pattern is solved.
Responsive design means your website should be able to get open on all devices irrespective of the size or graphic availability initially. It is an initiative, not the final one, so there are few other steps you need to follow to create an amazing pattern for responsive web design.
Later, we will go to the second step which is as important as the first one. What you need to do is create Meta tags for your website. It is quite important to do as you would like your nearby people to reach you and use your services. For achieving this, you need a Meta tag which will let others search and open your web pages.
DetailsSerious Driving Offences And What They Mean For Your Driving Licence
Although they may not be regarded as crimes in the same league as the likes of bank robbery and fraud, nevertheless driving offences will still mean punishments for those who commit them. Criminal lawyers may not always be required to represent those who commit minor driving offences, but for the more serious driving offences they most certainly should be consulted.
The reason for that is that the punishments which can be applied when someone has been convicted of a serious driving offence can go all the way up the scale to include disqualification from driving, fines, and ultimately, a term of imprisonment.
Serious driving offences will include those that involve driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and there are three main definitions of these, which are:
- Driving with a blood-alcohol level which is greater than 0.08%
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol to the extent that you are incapable of properly controlling a vehicle
- Refusing to provide the police with a sample of urine, breath or blood when requested.
The most obvious punishment that anyone who commits a serious driving offence relating to drink driving can expect to receive is a disqualification from driving. This will be in the form of a disqualification notice, and these are normally issued by the police.
Disqualification notices can be issued by the police to the driver at the time the offence occurs, or alternatively, they can be issued up to ten days after the day of the offence. A disqualification notice normally remains in force for 2 months, and it applies to the offender from the moment that they receive it.
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