Social commerce is not a new term but it’s one that is getting paid a lot more attention lately by businesses. It refers to the use of social media in e-commerce to encourage the buying and selling of a business’s products or services to consumers online.Facebook was once the leader of social commerce but Pinterest has quickly been on the rise and looks to be taking over in the top position for social commerce. One survey conducted by Boticca.com shows that Pinterest users spend an average of $180 on e-commerce sites whereas Facebook users only spend $85 on average.These numbers show that social media sites are having a lot of influence on consumers and help to drive online sales. Just because one may be showing more promise at one time or another does not mean that the other should be ignored. After all, social media is an ever-changing flow and what works well today may be slow tomorrow.To get the most results, you want to utilize both Pinterest and Facebook for your business marketing. Each has proven to be helpful in driving customers to e-commerce sites and will continue to do so in the future.Here are some of the tactics that your business should consider when taking advantage of the marketing opportunities that are easily available through social media.Facebook OffersA while back, Facebook introduced “deals,” which totally flopped and was quickly replaced by Facebook Offers. These are really taking off, allowing businesses to offer fans exclusive offers for their products and services. The company creates a great offer, like free shipping on an order or a coupon for 50% off. Users can click on “Get Offer” and an email will be sent to their inbox.The great thing about these offers is that once they are claimed, a notification appears in their friends’ news feeds, meaning more exposure for your offer and more potential customers being reached. You can post an offer that is good at your physical location, with users printing off the coupon to present in person, or your online site with a promotion code to enter in at the time of purchase.Just make sure that you can fulfill your offer. You don’t want to offer a free donut and then have 50,000 claims when you won’t be able to make that many donuts to give away!Pinterest Board OptimizationPinterest is all about the visual appeal. You want to have pictures of your products that are great to look at. You want to entice users to not only repin your products to their boards but also to click through to your website and make a purchase.Take plenty of pictures of each product until you find the images that are most appealing. Have pictures of someone wearing or using your product too. You can also add the price so that it appears in the top left corner of the image. This lets users know that the item is for sale and for how much.Integrate Social Media to Your E-Commerce SiteWith social commerce, it’s important to integrate social sharing into your website. With each product, include a way for users to share, recommend, like and pin to their social networks. When people are shopping online, they like to let others know what they like, what they are buying and what they are adding to their “wish list.”Make it easy for them by adding all of the share buttons to your site, especially for individual items. This is essentially free advertising, so don’t overlook this important part of social commerce.What social media platform do you use the most for your social commerce marketing? Have you found one to be more useful than another? What have your results been?

This is a list of creative travel blogs that I read and follow. They are written by independent travel writers, the list include those that I consider as heavy-weights in travel blogging. These bloggers are associated with large travel sites/blogs but their focus is on living a unique life (getting to see the world around them) and be an insightful writers. All of them are fun and inspirational to read.Blog: Everything-EverywhereWriter: Gary ArndtGary has been on the road since 2007 as a professional traveller. On the blog you’ll find interviews with leading figures in the industry like Laura Bly from BlyOnTheFly.com. The posts are factual yet personal as they include Gary’s insights and reasons for visiting each of the destinations. Everything-Everywhere is the top travel blogger on Twitter according to its Klout score.Most recent post: This Week In Travel – Episode 152Blog: Nomadic MattWriter: Matt KepnessMatt offers practical and tactical advice about how to travel better, cheaper and longer. The blog gives down-to-earth details about the best ways to explore the world. The blog is more of a collection of useful tips rather than a chronicle of Matt’s adventures although there is a travel guide section with info gathered from Matt’s travels since 2004. The site includes videos and a list of resources.Most recent post: How To Travel Anywhere For FreeBlog: Go-See-WriteWriter: Michael HodsonTravelling since 2008 he circumvented the globe without getting on a plane. The blog includes Michael’s adventures and experiences as he goes through each of the travel destinations. Dubai travel is included in the long list of destinations you can read about and there is a section of travel destination tips. The blog is a personal journey of a solo adventurer exploring the world.Most recent post: Visiting One of the World’s Highest LakesBlog: Fox NomadWriter: Anil PolatChosen by the Huffington Post as one of the top travel writers to watch Anil is a full time traveller but a gadget geek as well, so the focus of the blog is often on the technical aspect of travel. He often visits countries which are off-the-beaten-track and gives practical advice about how to cope in places like Yemen and Iraq. On the blog you’ll find destination tips, tech posts, resources and insights into green travel and culture.Most recent post: The Landmarks To Look Out For When Flying Into IstanbulBlog: Legal NomadsWriter: Jodi – A former Lawyer from MontrealShe has been travelling and eating her way around the world since 2008 and the blog focuses on food, culture and her adventures. One of the plus points about this travel writer’s blog is that it is ad-free (except for Amazon links) which makes it a very clean-cut blog to look at. This is a good blog to watch if you’re into food related travel, the blog is on the MSN list of top travel blogs.Most recent post: Thrillable Hours: Doug Barber, Co-Founder of MinaaBlog: Almost FearlessWriter: Christine GilbertOne of the top ranking travel & leisure blogs written by a mother traveling with her family since 2008, this blog has beautiful photography and the blend of family, self and travel. The family travel focus can be seen by the blog sections – life, kitchen, photos and kids. You’ll find some useful destination tips but more general life insights.Most recent post: How I Spent 10 Years To Get Where I StartedBlog: Camels and ChocolatesWriter: Kristin LunaOne of the top travel writer blogs according to Elliott.org and other “top” lists due to the well written text. The writer is a professional journalist, has interviewed the stars and in addition is a travel addict. She covers a long list of travel destinations recording her adventures with the occasional travel destination tip thrown in. The blog boasts many photos of the travel writer in the various travel destinations.Most recent post: Photo Friday: Columbus, OhioBlog: Johnny VagabondWriter: WesAnother of the Huffington Post picks for best travel writer blogs, the charm of this blog is in the well written descriptions of the writer’s adventures. Wes is traveling around the world on a tight budget and taking brilliant pictures as he goes. The writing is engaging, intelligent and entertaining as well as giving you plenty of info about the travel destinations.Most recent post: A Love Letter from the PhilippinesBlog: 48 Hour AdventureWriter: Justin MorrisA very useful and highly practical blog where each post is dedicated to a 48 hour plan of what to see and do in various travel destinations. What makes this travel & leisure blog standout is its no-nonsense usable quality. You’ll find a “48 hours in Dubai” post if you’re interested in Dubai travel, listing sites, how to get around, orientation and plenty of large photos.Most recent post: 48 Hours in ReykjavikBlog: Global GrasshopperWriter: A team of travel writers Gary and BeckyUnlike many of the blogs on this list it is not a chronicle of any one person’s travels but rather a collection of inspirational travel stories and travel destination tips written by travel writers. For example you’ll find “top 10″ lists, cool hotels and beautiful places as well as the section for travel snobs!Most recent post: 10 of the Best Travel DestinationsBlog: Travel Business SuccessWriter: Tourism Tim WarrenSince 1994 Tourism Tim Warren works to inspire, guide & connect tourism pros’ to realize their dreams. From Michigan to Mongolia, Baja to Bolivia, “Tourism Tim” Warren has helped 1000′s of small start-up tour operators to international business development agencies increase sales, arrivals and profits via his book, online courses and webinars. An entrepreneur at heart, he enjoys helping current & future travel entrepreneurs succeed financially following their passion of a profession in tourism.Most recent post: 5 Travel Website Sales TipsBlog: Y Travel BlogWriter: Caz & Craig MakepeaceCaz & Craig originally from Central Coast of Australia alongside their daughters have been travelling round the world. Y Travel Blog was started in April 2010 as a way to share personal travel tips and stories to help others live their travel dreams. There consistency, dedication and global travel knowledge makes their travel site one of the best.Most recent post: What a Day at Famous Hyams Beach Looks Like

So either you’re considering paying a visit to a certified credit counselor or you’ve already been to see one. Either way, the fact is you’re deep in debt and don’t know how you’re going to pay them off. In general, you need help. Either you’ve been overwhelmed by unexpected but necessary bills, you’ve lost your job but need to pay rent somehow, or you’ve simply lost control of your budget. Whatever the reason, you need help and a Debt Management Plan might possibly help. Whether one can or not will depend on your personal situation.In a Debt Management Plan essentially your credit counseling
organization takes over the managing of most of your unsecured debts. They directly interact with your creditors in order to negotiate lower interest rates, eliminate fees, prioritize debt payments and arrange what you will pay. The credit counseling agency may be able to help manage most unsecured debts.Before your sign up for a Debt Management PlanBefore signing up for any Debt Management Plan, you want to take some steps to do research and prepare yourself. The more prepared and informed you are, the better you will understand the process and options that are available to you even before discussing
the situation with your credit counselor.1 – Talk to your creditors yourselfThe fact is, many negotiations between a creditor and a credit
counselor can be done by you. Before I went to see a credit counselor, I negotiated lower interest rates on all my credit cards, so low, in fact, that even the credit counselor couldn’t do better. You also want to have a long chat with your creditors about what other concessions they might be willing to make for you and for the credit-counseling agency you’re considering. Creditors want their money and it may be the case that you can negotiate a better arrangement because you know your situation best. As my own situation got worse for numerous reasons,
I negotiated with my creditors a second time and was quite surprised that they were willing to eliminate the late fees and arrange a workable payment plan with me.The benefit of a Debt Management Plan is that all the negotiations are done for you; you simply make one monthly payment to the credit-counseling agency after you sign-up and they pay your creditors; and they may be able to provide a timeline for getting out of debt, which is really what the
goal is. In going this route, you may have to agree not to use or apply for credit while participating in the Debt Management Plan.2 – Find a reputable credit-counseling agencyFinding a reputable credit-counseling agency means research. Many of us have had trouble with debt at one point in our lives, so ask around and see if anyone has had success with a particular agency. Also, if you think you have found one, check with the Better Business Bureau, check online to see if this agency is reputable. Another option would be to, again, talk with your creditors and see if they work with that company. For me it turned out that the agency I chose didn’t work with two of the creditors that I owed the most to.3 – Work out a budgetBefore making any financial decision, one of the first and most necessary steps is to figure out just how much money you have coming in, how much is going out, how much of your spending is necessary and how much isn’t. Deciding how much money you have coming in is easy, just look at your pay stubs – printed or otherwise.Deciding how much you have going out is not always that easy and it’s important to be honest and calculate everything. First, you need to gather your bills and your receipts for all expenses, necessary and unnecessary. Add everything up to get an idea about how much your spending. Second, list your expenses by necessary and unnecessary; and, no, that $9 movie is not necessary. I was even told by a credit counselor that spending $50 a week on
food was too much and that only $20 was necessary. Of course, I was thinking, ‘what world are you living in?’. While difficult to do sometimes, you will need to make a decision about what expenses you can eliminate. When you have made these decisions,
you will then be able to see your financial situation for the future a little better and be better able to discuss your options with your credit counselor.Is a Debt Management Plan Right For You?One thing to remember is that not everyone is eligible for a Debt Management Plan. My own negotiations were so good that the credit-counseling agency could do no better, and in fact the interest rates I was paying were half what the credit-counseling
agency could get. You also might be so far in debt and simply not making enough money to afford any but the most essential living expenses and have nothing left over to pay creditors. There are other decisions to be made, though, before deciding to participate in a Debt Management Plan.Here’s what you should cover with your credit counselor beforehand:1 – Options besides a Debt Management PlanEveryone needs options and it’s always good to have a few. Before you sign-up for a Debt Management Plan, you should know what they are.2 – Other Credit-Counseling servicesCheck to see if the credit-counseling agency also provides other money management services, such as help with budgeting. Sometimes our debt is simply due to the inability to budget and manage money well. Education on money management issues can go a long way in preventing further problems with debt.3 – Impact on your Credit ScoreThere are some conflicting stories about what happens to your credit score when you sign-up for a Debt Management Plan. When I talked with a credit-counselor, I was told it would not impact my credit score. However, after talking with my creditors, I was told that it would reflect negatively on my report. I was more inclined to believe the creditors because they are, in fact, the ones who report on my payment history, length of history, etc. You don’t want anything negative on your report, so find out from both your creditors and your credit-counselor how it might affect it. While you may not be able to avoid having negative entries on your credit report, you should try to minimize the damage as much as possible.4 – How much will your monthly payment be?This is an important fact to know because it will affect your budget and you need to know if you will be able to manage the payment with all of your other necessary expenses. As with any expense, if you can’t afford it, then you don’t want to commit to it.Can the Credit-Counseling Agency do what it says?Like any major financial decision, you want to take some time to do research and think about it. Don’t simply sign-up at the first meeting with a credit counselor; you may be in for a big surprise.Here are some further issues you should research:1 – Confirm concessionsYour Credit counseling agency should provide with a list of what they can do for you by creditor, such as interest rates, elimination of fees, etc. Check with your creditors to confirm that the credit-counseling agency can provide these concessions and whether there is a waiting period for them.2 – Will your creditors be paid on time?An important fact to remember is that all of the accounts with your creditors are still in your name and you are expected to pay by the due date. Talk to your credit counselor about when payments are made and confirm that this will coincide with the payment due dates for your creditors.3 – How do you get account information?As with any account you open, you need to have a way on checking that status of that account. Find out whether this is possible and how it can be checked – email, phone, etc. Also, find out how often it can be checked and what types of information will be provided. If this service isn’t available, you need to find a different agency. Regardless of the service, it’s your money and you should know how it’s being spent.After you sign-up for a Debt Management PlanDebt management is not a passive process. This is your life and your financial situation. You need to be an active part of the solution. A Debt Management Plan only helps you manage your financial obligations to your creditors better. Your active participation can only help you in the long run and will ensure that your financial situation improves for the future. It may also provide a little peace of mind since you will be able to your debt diminishing and continue to monitor whether your credit-counseling agency and Debt Management Plan is doing what it should be doing – eliminating your debt. Active participation means you need to keep in contact with your creditors.Here are some ways to be active:1 – When does your Debt Management Plan start?This is important to know because you want to continue paying your bills until it goes into effect. Your credit rating is affected by your payment history and your goal should be to avoid any negative reports, whether you’ve had them yet or not. It would be a shame to start a Debt Management Plan to avoid negative reports, only to get them anyway.2 – Has your Debt Management Plan been accepted?Your Debt Management Plan only works if your creditors accept the proposed plan. If it hasn’t been accepted, then you should contact your credit-counseling agency again before sending them payments.3 – Is your Debt Management Plan paying the bills?
Check your monthly statements and call your creditors monthly to confirm timely payment, interest rates, elimination of fees, etc. Again, it doesn’t do any good to sign-up for a plan only to have it fail in what you’ve been told it would do and how it would do it.Since a Debt Management Plan is just a step away from, if a Debt
Management Plan isn’t going to work for you, you might want to consider bankruptcy. This was the only option given to me by my credit counselor, but I didn’t want to consider it. Unfortunately, I could have saved myself a lot of grief by accepting what inevitably did happen years sooner. However,
this option should be discussed with a credit-counselor if indeed this is the only option they give you. Regardless of what you decide to do, remember that financial issues can be very emotional, and overwhelming debt is stressful and can have other consequences besides the obvious financial consequences. Also, think about how the financial issues affect those around you; your family, your friends. Talk things over with those who are directly affected. Sometimes a little discussion goes a long way in helping to solve the problem and relieve some of the emotion strain. Lastly, the sooner you seek help, the sooner the emotional strain can be relieved and you can get on with the rest
of your life.