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Getting back to normal. What IS normal??!

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:16:34 GMT

It has to be said, It took me quite by surprise too, finding myself setting up SIIXTEEN macarons. Its not something people do everyday. Especially being an artist/designer/creative and NOT a baker! But how could I ignore the will to make these little pillows of totally utterly scrumptious perfection? Everywhere I visited, I would be drawn to the soft, smooth, pastel coloured little almond bite size treats. Bee-lining towards the exquisite simple form, appealing colour and well... just visual perfection!! They held the promise of luxuious taste, with every bite being tantalisingly tasty, soft and chewy at the same time. Mmmmmmmmm!

The biggest surprise was how very tricky these little bite-size beauts are to make. In fact... they are exceedingly difficult to make! However, with determination and a desire to supply you with the very best macarons you could possibly find, SIIXTEEN smashed it, and prides itself on achieving fabulously delicious and deep flavours, paired with melting soft textures. Using only the very best ingredients, each mouthful leaves you absolutely melting and wanting more!

One, or nearly, one year on, and SIIXTEEN is thriving. Having jumped in at the deep end, my only choices were to sink or swim. I chose to swim. And then Covid-19 struck. Fortunately, SIIXTEEN was in a position where I could continue to produce our feel good macarons. And I found myself supplying beautiful sweet hugs as the world shut down, closed off and went into a strange sort of unsociable hibernation. When we were just about to supply some gloriously lovely local hotels, they shut down too. So we added smiles to whomever staff were still working at the time. Along with keeping up morale of some of the front-line workers in the NHS.

And now the children are finally back at school, we can celebrate and reclaim some kind of normality once more. But I am left asking myself, what is normal? Nothing has been very 'normal' since since SIIXTEEN was born. Each day brings it's own sets of delights and challenges and nothing ever seems to stay the same.

Perhaps that's why it IS so lovely with the children being back at school. The days become structured once more. And if that's all I can get for now, in terms of 'normal', then im taking it! So i'm not going to dig deeper and over think this. Instead, I'm going to make lists, make plans, follow them through and revel in the fact that SIIXTEEN is still here delighting in the undeniably, delicious little pillows of joy and spreading a little bit of love.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

PAR002_123@heg.com — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:16:34 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

PAR002_123@heg.com — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:16:33 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.