As a business owner or entrepreneur, you are always looking for new ways to improve your social media marketing strategy. After all, social media is a powerful tool that can help you connect with potential and current customers, boosting your brand’s visibility and reach.

One great way to boost your social media marketing is to leverage stories on social media platforms. Stories are a popular feature on social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and they offer a unique way to connect with your audience.

This will be especially useful for you if you're a digital marketer on social media platforms or participating in social media management in the Philippines.

Here are some tips for using stories to improve your social media marketing:

1. Use stories to give customers a behind-the-scenes look at your business.

People are fond of getting a behind-the-scenes look at businesses, so use stories to give your customers a peek into what goes on behind the scenes at your company.

You could do a series of stories featuring different aspects of your business, such as your manufacturing process, product development, or team meetings. This is a great way to humanize your brand and make it more relatable to your customers.

2. Use stories to showcase your products or services.

If you’re trying to showcase your products or services, stories are a great way to do that. You can use stories to give your customers a closer look at your products or services, highlighting their features and benefits.

This is a great way to generate interest in your products or services and encourage potential customers to learn more about what you have to offer.

3. Use stories to tell your brand’s story.

Your brand has a story, and stories are a great way to tell that story. Use stories to share your brand’s history, values, and mission. It'll help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and give them a better understanding of what your brand is all about.

4. Use stories to promote your content.

If you have a blog post, eBook, or video that you want to promote, stories are a great way to do that. Share a snapshot of the content with a link to where your audience can find it. Through this, you drive traffic to your website or blog and encourage your audience to consume your content.

5. Use stories to run a contest or giveaway.

Running a contest or giveaway is a great way to increase engagement on your social media platforms. Use stories to promote your contest or giveaway and encourage your audience to participate. By doing this, you increase brand awareness and grow your social media following.

6. Use stories to give customers a sneak preview of new products or services.

If you have a new product or service that you’re launching soon, use stories to give your customers a sneak preview. This is an excellent tactic to generate interest and excitement for your new product or service and encourage your audience to check it out when it launches.

7. Use stories to answer customer questions.

Do you get a lot of questions from customers about your products or services? Use stories to answer those questions! Through it, you'll be able to provide valuable information to your customers and clear up any confusion they may have.

8. Use stories to share customer testimonials.

Do you have customers who love your products or services? Share their testimonials in stories! Utilizing stories will help you build social proof and show potential customers that your products or services are valuable and worth checking out.

9. Use stories to share your company’s milestones.

Did your company recently achieve a milestone, such as reaching a certain number of customers, launching a new product, or expanding to a new location? Share that news in a story! This is an effective technique that you can use to keep your audience updated on your company’s progress and accomplishments.

10. Use stories to show your appreciation for your customers.

Show your customers that you appreciate them by sharing a story featuring them! Doing this will make your customers feel valued and it can help encourage them to continue doing business with you.

Conclusion

Stories are a great way to improve your social media marketing and connect with your audience on a deeper level. You can use it to highlight different parts of your brand, specifically the ones which aren't always seen, to bring awareness to them, develop your authenticity, and humanize your business online.

However, you can't just use them haphazardly. You need to have a clear intent, goal, and plan of action to get the most out of this feature.

Use the tips we provided above to transform your social media presence using stories! Start now and breathe new life into your social media marketing strategy!

In celebration of its 65th anniversary, trusted Filipino household company PHILUSA Corporation continues its commitment to making meaningful, healthy, and sustainable lifestyle more attainable for Filipino families through “Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino” campaign.

PHILUSA Corporation is a leading Filipino-owned company that is known for marketing and distributing fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical products through their iconic Filipino brands like RHEA, Babyflo, Cleene, MEDIPLAST, Albatross, Apollo, and more.

Dedicated to being a part of every Filipino household, PHILUSA Corporation marks its 65^th year by championing hygiene, health, sustainability, and giving back to the communities. The leading company commenced the anniversary campaign by supporting Luwalhati ng Maynila, a home for the aged in Marikina City. Led by the PHILUSA Family Council (PHILFACO), the initiative benefitted over 400 seniors in the institution, receiving kitchen equipment and supplies, household products, hygiene kits, medical kits, and more.

“PHILUSA Corporation strives to inspire volunteerism in others by creating a meaningful impact in the community. Our company has helped different sectors over the years through social development efforts and relief assistance, and PHILUSA continues with its commitment of touching the lives of Filipino families through these initiatives,” said PHILUSA President and General Manager Neogin Evangelista.

Through the “Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino” campaign, PHILUSA Corporation continues to uphold its core values of putting its customers’ needs first, achieving timely and quality results through innovation and continuous improvement, and doing everything with integrity through its initiatives in helping others.

The initiative strives to maintain the trust of Filipinos, featuring its three main pillars – Katuwang sa Kalinisan highlights the brand’s efforts to promote the importance of hygiene; Katuwang sa Kalikasan, on the other hand, showcases its commitment to sustainability; and, lastly, Katuwang sa Kalusugan advocates overall wellness in every household.

“We’ve always envisioned PHILUSA Corporation as every Filipino’s household partner, which is why we are very excited to announce our Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino campaign. This campaign is really a celebration of PHILUSA Corporation’s 65th year championing health, wellness and environmental sustainability to Filipinos everywhere not only through our products and brands, but also through our initiatives,” shared Mr. Evangelista.

The Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino campaign will be a continuation of PHILUSA Corporation’s efforts to pay it forward by releasing relevant content on its sustainability and hygiene-related initiatives, as well as outreach programs to promote and raise awareness about their advocacies of health, hygiene, and environmental sustainability.

To learn more about PHILUSA Corporation and their different brands and initiatives, visit their website at https://philusa.com.ph or visit their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PhilusaCorporation/.

Wounds are a common injury, in which the skin’s surface gets damaged. Fortunately, most wounds can be treated with first aid and won’t need a trip to the hospital or clinic. With proper and immediate care, you can reduce the risk of infection and speed up healing.

Here are some basic wound first aid tips that you should follow:

Wash Your Hands Before Anything Else

Whether you’re taking care of your own wound or someone else’s, the first order of business should be washing your hands to prevent contamination and infection. Make sure to follow good hand-washing practices, including scrubbing up to the wrists and under the nails.

Stop the Bleeding

If the wound is small and not very deep, it will likely stop bleeding without any help. However, if the wound is bleeding, you need to stop it before you start treatment. A simple and reliable method is to use a clean cloth or bandage to apply gentle pressure. You should also elevate the wound to slow down the bleeding as much as possible.

Clean the Wound Using Running Water

It’s best to use running water to clean a wound, because this will help wash away dirt and other small particles. For the skin around the wound, wash it gently with soap and rinse thoroughly; try your best not to get soap in the wound. For the wound itself, you can use a saline solution to minimize tissue damage.

After washing, use a clean pair of tweezers to remove any remaining debris. This will help the wound heal faster and better. If you can’t remove every piece of debris on your own or if a piece of debris is too large or embedded deeper, it may be better to go to the doctor to avoid complications.

Apply an Antibiotic Ointment

After making sure the wound is clean, pat it dry using another clean cloth. You can also use paper towels, but make sure that there will be no fibers left behind. Once the wound is dry, apply an antibiotic ointment to keep the wound clean and to prevent the growth of bacteria. If you don’t have antibiotic ointment at the time, a bit of petroleum jelly will do while you buy medicine online to replenish the stock in your first aid kit.

Cover the Wound

For slightly more serious wounds, where there’s a flap of skin that got scraped off, use a cotton swab to reposition the skin flap before applying the gauze.

Change the Dressing Regularly

For hygiene and safety, change the dressing of the wound regularly. About once a day is recommended, but it may be more frequent for bigger wounds; it’s also advisable to replace the wound dressing before going to sleep. Again, make sure that your hands are clean before proceeding to wash and cover the injury.

Use Pain Relievers If Necessary

If the wound causes a lot of pain, you can use over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. Make sure that you or the patient doesn’t have any allergies to the main ingredient. Moreover, if the person is taking prescription medication, consult your doctor to confirm OTC pain relievers won’t affect the prescription medication’s effectiveness.

Get a Shot for Tetanus

For deep, dirty wounds, a tetanus shot is recommended after the necessary first aid has been accomplished. This is even more important if the patient hasn’t had a tetanus shot in the past 5 years.

Meanwhile, you should go to an animal bite center if you or the person you’re helping got bitten by an animal like a dog, cat, or bat. It’s even more important if the animal is wild or a stray, and if the animal hasn’t been given complete rabies shots.

Monitor for Symptoms of Infection

After treating the wound, monitor it carefully for symptoms. If the wound causes severe pain, has a bad odor coming from it, or produces thick, yellowish discharge, go to your doctor immediately. Some other signs you should look out for include continuous bleeding even after treatment and reddened skin around the wound. Any wound that causes a fever is also a cause for concern, as well as big wounds on the face, head, neck, or near a joint.

In addition, you should go to the doctor if you suffer a serious wound and have an underlying medical condition that can affect the healing process.

At times, being wounded or seeing someone be wounded can be panic-inducing; your emotions may be heightened further if the patient is a child or an elderly person. Knowing how to take care of the injury can help reduce the feelings of panic. Keep these tips in mind so you properly administer first aid for wounds.

As parents, we spend our days making sure we have the right tools and partners so our children can grow up healthy, and enjoy all the joys of life, big and small. From the vitamins they drink to keep them strong, to the lotions and creams that keep their skin smooth and healthy, their well-being is at the top of the priority list.

Young moms and dads who have experienced eczema, or who are now seeing eczema symptoms in their kids often feel anxious and worried when their little ones experience redness or skin irritation. Also known as atopic dermatitis or skin asthma, eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that leads to dryness, itchiness and redness in skin, and these symptoms appear over time in varying degrees. From spotting the first signs of redness and flaking, itchy skin, to reaching the peak of severe cracks and bleeding, worsened by scratching, eczema may come and go, but mostly remains dormant in the skin.

While eczema is not life threatening, parents worry over this because it may have a significant impact on their child’s life, limiting the clothes they wear, the activities they do outdoors and under the sun, and even the food they eat so they don’t further irritate their skin. When a flare up happens, you as the parent want to help your child not only relieve the itch and prevent skin from bleeding, but more importantly, space out the next flare up for as long as possible and get their life back to normal.

Because eczema occurs as a succession of inflammatory flare-ups which appear over time, Bayer Consumer Health introduces its ABC Eczema Care System. Bayer aims to help parents and their kids reactively treat eczema flare ups, while also proactively repairing and moisturizing skin to mitigate future flares-ups. With their products, managing eczema and controlling flare ups is as easy as ABC.

A is for Anti-inflammatory

The peak of eczema symptoms are flare ups that often come with redness and swelling of the skin. For fast relief of these symptoms, Mometasone furoate (Elica®), is an OTC topical steroid that helps control and calm down the inflammation, with visible results in just 24 hours. Available in cream for wet wounds and ointment for dry, thick areas, Mometasone furoate (Elica®) relieves itching, swelling and inflammation.

B is for Barrier Restoration

Once major symptoms have subsided, your skin needs to heal from the scratching and dryness. Bepanthen Itch Relief Cream not only calms itchiness within 30 minutes, but also helps heal the impaired system barrier in eczema-prone areas. A steroid-free cream, it can be applied as needed when itchiness occurs, so you don’t need to worry about potential harm to your babies and children. As it helps prevent the loss of water in your skin, using Bepanthen Itch Relief Cream is a proactive measure parents can take to lessen itchiness, redness and irritation.

C is for Basic Care

Eczema management is not just a one-time occurrence. To help space out the next flare up for as long as possible, the skin needs to be cleansed and moisturized on a regular basis. Bepanthen SensiDaily Moisturizer is clinically tested to help keep skin flare-free for at least three months. Formulated with prebiotics to help keep extra sensitive, eczema-prone skin healthy, it provides deep and long-lasting* hydration for your whole body.

Beating eczema should not be a case of hit or miss. With Bayer’s ABC Eczema Care System, managing it is as easy as ABC!

If symptoms persist, please consult your doctor.

Elica and Bepanthen are available via Bayer Official Stores on Shopee and Lazada. To learn more about Elica and Bepanthen, visit their official websites at https://www.elica.com.ph/ and https://www.bepanthen.com.ph/.

*For up to three months, with regular use

ASC Ref. No. B214P052622BS

One-Day Exclusive: Shop the NEW Urban Style shades in Truffle Ash and Rose Sorbet from Revlon. Buy this and get a FREE Revlon Kiss Cloud Blotted Lipstick only on Shopee!

We may all be staying at home but that's no excuse for us to forget beautifying ourselves!  Revlon has our backs when it comes to quality and premium beauty products!  And for today only, they are offering an exclusive deal for us where we could get a FREE Revlon Kiss Cloud Blotted Lip Color with every purchase of their Revlon Colorsilk Urban Style Hair Color's NEWEST shades:

• Rose Sorbet
• Truffle Choco Ash

Revlon Colorsilk Urban Style Hair Color's NEWEST shades: Rose Sorbet and Truffle Choco Ash

There are 6 different shades available with names inspired by yummy desserts: 

• Matcha Beige
• Chocolate Raspberry
• Chestnut Mochi
• Caramel Custard
• Rose Sorbet
• Truffle Choco Ash

• From the #1 hair color brand in the USA*, Colorsilk Urban Style is designed specifically for Asian hair
• No-drip formula - making at-home hair coloring easy and fuss-free. 
• With an ammonia-free and Keratin-infused formula
• Trendy dessert color choices along with silky smooth and healthy hair.

And just for one-day, when you buy any Urban Style Hair Color, you get a Kiss Cloud Blotted Lipstick for FREE!

Revlon Kiss Cloud Blotted Lip Color

Kiss Cloud Blotted Lip Color in Rosy Cotton Candy and  Chocolate Souffle

Purchase from Shopee here: Revlon Kiss Cloud Blotted Lip Color

So when you think you're tired of your daily chores or working from home, then you know what to do.  Change your hair color and make sure to use Revlon New Urban Style Shades.  Trust me, I used to get bored with my hair easily and feel not too pretty, but with a colored hair, I feel renewed each time I see my hair.  And with this exclusive deal, you bring home a free Revlon Kiss Cloud Blotted Lip Color!

Stay beautiful!  Happy Shopee-ng!

Buying your first home is a huge life milestone. There are many steps to buy a house, and the process can be a long and tedious one.  

 

Our greatest achievement in 2021: Our first home!

How do you know if you’re ready to take this big step?

Your Debt is Under Control

You may still have some debt, but if you’re close to the finish line when it comes to being debt-free, now would be a good time to consider home.

Your Credit Score is on the Up and Up

As you pay down said debt, your credit score will rise, and your reliability as a borrower will strengthen.

Credit scores play a major part in the type of home loan you can acquire. You can qualify for most mortgages with a credit score of at least 620.

You Have Steady Income

You may have finally settled into your career and have a steady stream of cash coming in. Not only will this help in the way of being able to save money for a down payment, it’s also an important factor for lenders to see when considering you for a mortgage.

Calculate your debt-to-income ratio. While there is no absolute requirement to meet with this for loans, most lenders like to see a ratio of under 50%.

You Have Money for A Down Payment

Typically, 20% is what’s thought of for a solid down payment on a home. However, nowadays you can buy a home with as little as 3% down on a conventional loan or 3.5% down on an FHA loan.

A large down payment has benefits, as one of 20% down will eliminate the need for you to pay for private mortgage insurance, which protects your lender if you default on your loan.

You Are Aware of All the Costs

Owning a home is much more than a monthly mortgage payment. There are insurance costs, property taxes, utilities, closing costs, and maintenance to consider.

Often surprises come up with new homeownership and you may find yourself needing to foot the bill for things like a broken appliance or roof leak that come out of nowhere.

These should all factor into your budget as you look at your financials.

You’re Emotionally Ready

Buying a home is a long-term commitment. Most mortgages range from 15 to 30 years. Though you don’t have to necessarily stay in your house for that length of time, you should really love the place and area you’re moving into.

You may find yourself with a steady career and income, no need to pick up and move to a new city, or comfortable in a current relationship.

You also have to be sure you’re ready to handle any required maintenance that comes with a home.

If so, these are all signs you are mentally prepared to buy a house.

You Need Space

Sometimes, you simply need a bigger residence to fit your lifestyle. Perhaps your family is growing and you need an extra bedroom or backyard now. Even a slight increase in square footage can make all the difference.