Lumière de Vie is Now Available Worldwide!

Lumière de Vie has been changing the face of the skin care industry since its launch at World Conference in January and it is finally available worldwide! 

Over the last two weeks, Lumière de Vie has become available in the United Kingdom and Australia markets, meaning that it is now available in all markets including US, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

A Lumière de Vie fan shared this photo with us... products on the beach in Mexico!

We’ve enjoyed reading your stories and hearing your testimonials about how Lumière de Vie products are changing your skin care routine. Keep them coming! Share your stories on the Lumière de Vie Facebook page or email them to us at socialmedia@marketamerica.com. Your success stories will be featured on our social media channels!

To buy the products and share them with friends, here are links for each market:

United States
Canada
Mexico
United Kingdom
Australia
Hong Kong
Taiwan
GLOBAL.SHOP.COM 

We love Lumière de Vie and are excited that it’s now available to everyone! Comment below and tell us which of the 5 products is your favorite.

5 Must-Haves for the Beach

With summer just around the corner, it’s no surprise that we keep day dreaming of our weekend trips to the beach, soaking in the sun with a nice cocktail in hand. Make sure you have everything you need with these five beach essentials from SHOP.COM that will make your mini vacation stress-free! 

Big Tote. A roomy bag to carry to the beach is an absolute must. It’s the building block of your day at the beach. For a bag that will endure the summer hear, try a straw beach tote. They’re durable, washable and usually big enough to carry all your essentials!

Blanket or Towel. The type of towel or blanket really depends on what you want to do while you’re there. If you plan on reading and relaxing while soaking up some sun, we recommend an oversized, good quality cotton towel or blanket.

Sun Protection. You can never be too protective of your skin. Make sure you apply lotion with a high SPF before you head out to the beach and don’t forget to reapply after getting in the water. A good pair of sunglasses is also an important essential to protect your eyes from UV rays!

Flip Flops. Flip flops are hands-down the best shoe to wear to the beach. You will not want to try to put a pair of closed toe shoes on your hot and sandy feet! Flip flops are lightweight and easy to clean, but other types of sandals will do the trick as well!

Entertainment. Depending on who you will be going to the beach with, we recommend bringing something that will help with entertainment. You can save a lot of room in your bag with a tablet that will keep all your reading material in one place. If you are at the beach with children, sandcastle-building toys are a fun choice.

These are just a few must-haves that we think will make your trip to the beach outstanding! What else will you be bringing with you?

PureH2O™

Did you know that we are made up of over 70% water? Our bodies can’t properly function without it, so it’s important that you’re getting enough to meet your daily H₂O quota. But what about the quality, not just the quantity, of the water you’re putting into your body? Getting 64 ounces a day is all fine and dandy, but it’s even better when that water is clean and free of contaminants.

Our line of PureH2O™ products does more than filter out contaminants and enhance mineral balance; they help to enhance the taste of water, too! Whether you have city water that tastes and smells like chlorine, or well water that is a little on the bitter side, everyone can benefit from the easy to install PureH2O™ water filtration systems. Here’s what you need to know about PureH2O™ products and how they can benefit YOU!

PureH2O™ Countertop Water Filtration SystemThis dual-filter system installs in seconds and provides you with great tasting water straight from your kitchen faucet! This product is great for filtering out sediment, microscopic particles, chlorine taste and odor, while simultaneously reducing the lead and enhancing the mineral balance of the water. The end result: healthy water that tastes just like it’s supposed to!

Additional products that are designed for use with the PureH2O™ Countertop Water Filtration System:

PureH2O™ Under-Sink Installation kit: this kit allows you to install and mount the hardware off your counter and out of the way!

PureH2O™ Countertop Water Filter Replacement Cartridges: An essential component for the PureH2O™ Countertop Water Filtration System!

PureH2O™ Pre-sediment water Filter Hose Replacement: This product is a component part for current users of the PureH2O countertop water filter and contains three pre-sediment replacement filters.

PureH2O™ Water Filter Hose Replacement: Another component part for current users of the PureH2O Countertop Water Filter.

PureH2O™ Shower FilterWe know that it’s important to consume water that is free of unhealthy particles and chemicals, but what about the water you bathe in? More chemicals enter our body through skin absorption and inhalation of steam while showering than from drinking the water itself. Using a shower filtration system will help reduce the amount of chlorine in your water, which can be very drying to skin and hair. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing noticeable benefits after using the PureH2O Shower Filter only a few times!

Additional products that are designed for use with the PureH2O™ Shower Filter:

PureH2O™ Shower Wand: this product is a simple to use, hand-held massaging wand with an adjustable swivel collar that allows you to adapt the water pressure to your preference. It’s also perfect for filling up the bathtub with its long-reach hose!

Do YOU have a favorite PureH2O product? Tell us which one it is and why by posting in the comment section below!

Keep Your Family Healthy This Summer!

Getting ready for some family fun this summer? We have gathered four simple tips you need to protect the well-being of everyone in your family – including your pet! Follow this guide to make sure everyone stays healthy during your summer adventures!

Healthy Menu – Most of the time, people tend to skip breakfast and replace meals with candy bars and late night snacks. You can help your family make healthier choices by providing a variety of healthy snacks and serving meals at the appropriate times. Instead of sugary sweets, pack your children’s lunch with an apple or some baby carrots for healthier eating. It’s also important keep your kitchen food-borne-illness-free. Wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before preparing any food!

Be Active – Instead of spending hours in front of the TV, on the computer, or playing video games, encourage your family to spend time outside while the weather is nice. Go on hikes and walks or just spend time at the park with your children and pets! Exercise will give you extra energy that you and your family need throughout the day as well as keep your immune system strong for when it needs to battle sickness.

Get Vaccinated – Your doctor reminds you every year to get your family vaccinated against the flu, but did you know that’s not the only vaccine out there that can help you prevent sickness? Other vaccines like HepA, HepB and Tdap are also crucial, especially if you have younger children. Keep in mind that vaccines are not only for your children but for you and your partner as well to keep the entire family healthy and strong!

Wash Your Hands – This one goes without saying, but you would be surprised at how many people don’t enforce this habit!  Washing your hands is hands-down the best way to keep germs from spreading. If you’re not near a sink after using the bathroom or before eating, you can always carry a hand sanitizing gel with you to keep your hands clean at all times.

What simple steps will you be taking to make your home healthier for you and your children?

Introducing… SHOP.COM on Instagram!

We’ve had fun with our Market America Instagram account for the last few months, so we felt it was time to add another account to the family! Join us in welcoming SHOP.COM to Instagram:

Click HERE to see SHOP.COM on Instagram.

Things are looking a little bare on the account right now, so show us some love by following along. We’ll be uploading photos of Daily Deals and other great discounts and savings from our affiliate partner stores. If you want to share the best deals you’ve found on SHOP.COM, simply use hashtag #shopcomdeals and we’ll repost our favorite photos. Once we reach 500 followers, we’ll be celebrating with a giveaway! Comment with your ideas on what we should give away!

Our social media team loves Instagram and we can’t wait to start indulging our inner shopaholics on our brand new account!

How Facebook Friends Influence Purchasing Habits

Whether you’re headed back from the beach or firing up the BBQ as we speak, the last thing we want to do is “bore” you with a long how-to social media post, so we’re going to do something a little different today! What’s that, you ask? We’re going to talk about how Facebook friends influence your purchasing habits with a really cool infographic. Are you ready to be blown away by some amazing facts and fascinating figures? Then read on!

At one point or another, we have ALL based a decision to purchase something on the recommendation from one of our friends. Or maybe you didn’t purchase something because one of your friends had a bad experience with the product and advised you against buying it. Whether we realize it or not, our friends – the “real life” kind and connections we have on Facebook – are extremely influential on our purchasing habits. How influential? Check out this nifty infographic created byPPC Associates to find out!

What does this infographic tell us?

Females in the 25-44 age bracket are most likely to make a purchase based on a Facebook friend’s recommendation. Men 18-24 and 45-54, however, are not as easily swayed, and are the least likely to make a purchase based on a friend’s recommendation. However, that does not mean that they don’t, they just do it less frequently.

And get this: the Northeast has the highest percentage of people who don’t use Facebook, but it also has the highest percentage of people who are most likely to make a purchase based on a Facebook friend’s recommendation. Go figure!

Something else we found interesting was that people in rural areas of the U.S are most likely to use Facebook, but when it comes to making purchases based on a Facebook friend’s recommendation, suburbanites took the cake.

Hold on a sec! What is considered a “recommendation from a friend”?

Recommendations from friends can be direct or indirect. For example, let’s say you’re planning a camping trip but don’t have any camping gear or supplies. Instead of turning to ads on TV or Google search, you put up a post on Facebook asking your friends to comment their favorite outdoor equipment store. In this instance, the suggestions you receive from your friends would be considered direct recommendations (you asked, they recommended). If your friend uploads a photo of a supplement they love (Isotonix® OPC-3, maybe?) along with the caption “Love this stuff! Don’t know how I lived without it before!” and you just happen to see it in your feed, that’s an indirect recommendation. You didn’t ask for it, but you saw it, and since you trust your friend’s opinions more than ads on TV or signs on billboards, you consider purchasing that product, too. Both types of recommendations can be equally influential on our purchasing habits.

Now that you know how influential Facebook friends’ recommendations can be, how will you use this information to build your business with social media? Post your answer in the comment section below! 

6 Essentials to Bring to a Wedding

Wedding season is in full swing but that’s no reason to panic! SHOP.COM has you covered for all of your wedding needs. We have put together a list of essentials to bring with you when you attend a wedding. 

Cosmetics. Your makeup will need a touch up at some point during the evening, so it’s always best to be prepared. You don’t have to carry your entire makeup case. A lipstick or lip gloss and a compact powder will do the trick!

Deodorant. In case it gets hot and heavy on the dance floor, bring a mini deodorant. They’re perfect to keep in your clutch or small bag!

Band Aids. With all the standing around and dancing, you might get a blister or two. Be prepared with these Band-Aid Advance Healing Blister Cushions!

Mints. When you’re not breaking it down on the dance floor, you’ll be chatting with other wedding attendees over champagne. Keep some mints in your bag to freshen your breath after dinner.

Safety Pins. Safety pins are always handy to have, especially on a wedding day. You can save the bride (or yourself) from a broken strap in seconds!

A Gift. This is probably the most important thing to bring! Most weddings have a registry, so finding something that will be useful to them shouldn’t be too difficult. Maybe they even registered with SHOP.COM! If the bride and groom did not create a registry, you can always buy a wedding gift basket for them!

And of course, don’t forget to bring a camera to capture all the beautiful memories!

These are our wedding essentials, but we know you have many more! Comment below to tell us what you’re taking to your summertime weddings!

4 Tips for Effective Brainstorming

The ability to innovate is crucial to any successful organization and coming up with a successful plan is just the beginning of the journey. Brainstorming sessions allow employees to share, rate, and comment on ideas while also allowing them to come up with new ways to solve a problem. To help you company surface good ideas, take a look at these four tips before you get your creative team together for an effective brainstorming session! Read More

1. Get a facilitator. Assign someone to facilitate the brainstorming session in order to make it as productive as possible. A facilitator will allow the flow of ideas to have a positive direction. This person should be an outsider or someone from a different department within your organization that is familiar with the project. Keep in mind that it’s important for the facilitator to be able to provide directions without sounding authoritative.

2. Preparation is key. It is essential to start with a brief overview of the project. This is a good way to get people thinking of creative ideas to solve the problem or create a strategic plan. You should also clearly state the ultimate goal of the brainstorming session. As you consider your goal, be wary of goals that are too vague or two specific. Instead of having a broad goal like “Increase audience for social media channels,” try setting a more specific goal like “Develop 10 ways to create more engaging content.”within your company/organization that is familiar with the project. Keep in mind that it’s important for the facilitator to be able to provide directions without sounding authoritative.

 3. Write down everything. Come prepared with big sheets of paper or a whiteboard and tons of pens, pencils, and markers and place them where everyone can see it. You will want to write down every idea, even the crazy ones, and encourage everyone to write them down themselves. If needed, you can also bring props; some people think visually so use anything that can get people thinking of ideas. However, keep in mind that computers can be distracting during a brainstorming session. Suggest the meeting to be laptop-free to create a more effective meeting.

4. Relax. Create a relaxing environment so fear doesn’t block any ideas. People need to feel free to throw ideas without being judged or being ridiculed. This will also encourage members to participate and present as many ideas as possible. Always remember that no idea is a bad idea; sometimes the best suggestions come from previous ones.

With these tips, you will be able to drastically increase productivity during your next brainstorming session. How often do you use brainstorming to solve a problem?Comment below with your brainstorming secrets to success!

What Do You Need to Know About the Google+ Redesign?

Last week Google announced a whole slew of enhancements made to Google services. Many of the most talked about features and redesigns were made to Google’s social network Google+. Want to learn more? Here’s what you need to know about the redesigns!

HashtagsLet’s say you post something about a Boston Redsox player on your Google+ page. Google will automatically hashtag the Redsox, which you can then click and explore a bunch of related content posted across Google+ that is related to the Boston Redsox. You have the option of editing the tag (if, by chance, Google doesn’t get it right) and turning tags off so your post stays private. But after seeing all the cool stuff that the hashtag feature can do, you will wonder why anyone would want to do that!

CardsPosts are no longer posts anymore; they’re called “cards” which function much like a postcard. On one side, you’ll see an image with a caption, but click the hashtag Google+ assigned the post and it flips over to reveal related content. Now you’ll be able to discover new content with the simple “flip of a card”!

Multi-Column DesignIf you’re thinking that Google+ is looking a whole lot like Pinterest, you’re right! Google ditched their linear design for a multi-column design that is both aesthetically appealing and a lot more fun to navigate!

Photo EditingGoogle+ has long been seen as a “cloud” for photos and content, but has been lacking the editing features that amateur photographers and professionals crave. That all changes now! Google now gives you the option to “auto enhance” all your images to make them beautiful, perfectly exposed , and less grainy. It’s like a professional editing tool right in your Google account you simply can’t afford to miss out on!

These are just a few of the whopping 41 new features Google has added to your Google+ account! Find out more about all these fun, helpful, and even awe-inspiring features in this article on Mashable.

What new Google+ feature are you most excited about? Tell us in the comments below! 

SHOP.COM Saturday: Stock Up on These Summertime Essentials!

With Memorial Day almost upon us, it’s time to start preparing for summer festivities and vacations! But if you’re stumped on where to start, we’re here to help! Check out these great SHOP.COM partner stores for all your warm-weather necessities.

Outdoor GrillsIt just feel like summertime if you didn’t have a great grill to cook up some burgers! If yours is looking a bit shabby and needs to be replaced, check out Shoppers Choice. There you’ll find an assortment of grills and grilling gadgets, all of which offer 5% Cashback!

Gardening Equipment & DécorWinter can take a toll on your garden, so show it some love with some new garden equipment from Spectrum Super Store! Best of all? Get 3% Cashback on all of your purchases!

Outdoor DécorPlanning a summer party, but your outdoor living space is looking less than stellar? Spruce it up with items from Designed for Outdoors! Best of all, you get 6% Cashback on every purchase!

Beach HatsWhether you have plans to hit the beach or hang out in your backyard pool, make sure to cover up with a festive sunhat from Luxury Divas! With 5% Cashback on every purchase, looking stylish on a budget has never been so easy!

SwimwearWhen was the last time you treated yourself to some new swimwear? Can’t remember? Then it’s definitely time to check out the wide selection of swimsuits and beach apparel available from Shoebuy! Update your look and get 6% Cashback  – what could be better?

Beach Cover-upsWhen you’re not spending time next to the pool, don’t just throw an old t-shirt on over your suit – try one of these stylish cover-ups from Voguette instead! So much better than a frumpy, oversized shirt, and you get 5% Cashback!

Now it’s your turn: tell us how you’re preparing for summertime with SHOP.COM!

New Lumière de Vie™ Handouts

Memorial Day weekend is only a week away and summer is just around the corner! With temperatures rising and the bright sun staying out longer each day, it’s time to step back, assess your skin care routine, and consider what you’re doing to refresh your skin after sun exposure. Lumière de Vie™, one of the newest additions to our offering of skin care products, is a line specially formulated to take care of all skin types to give you healthy, smooth skin.

With 5 products currently in the Lumière de Vie™ line, customers have had difficulty differentiating which product to use when and in what order. Though we previously addressed this issue on the ma Blog, our product team was generous enough to follow up with a helpful guide:

Which Lumière de Vie™ is your favorite to use? Comment below and let us know what suggestions you have for future products to add to the line!

Great Reads for Entrepreneurs

Whether you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur or are a seasoned go-getter, it’s always a good idea to seek advice from others in your field. Maybe others will have encouraging words for you as you begin to build your business. Perhaps someone else has a unique take on something you’ve been doing the same way for years! Here are our picks for the books you need to be reading as you further your career as an UnFranchise® Owner:

What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur
This book navigates the challenges you’ll likely encounter as you set your sights on becoming your own boss.

The Rebel Entrepreneur
Taking a different approach, The Rebel Entrepreneurtells you why you’ve been getting the wrong advice about starting your own business and shares real-life examples of successful entrepreneurs who did things differently.

How to be a Social Entrepreneur: Make Money & Change the World
As the description for this book states, “Don’t just make money… change the world.” There is so muchgood that you can do in this world with your power of entrepreneurship. Don’t forget to make a lasting impression for generations to come.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Haven’t read this one yet? What are you waiting for? It’s a classic! Make sure you’re exhibiting these traits as you approach new potential business partners and customers.

New Ideas from Dead CEO’s: Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office
This book is far from morbid as it examines the successes and failures of some of the most notable CEO’s in history. If you feel like you’ve backtracked in your business, consider this a resource to help you climb back to the top!

This is our quick list, but you must have others! Leave reading suggestions in the comments section for your fellow entrepreneurs!

Top Stories from Around the Web

By now you probably know that the Market America Social Media Team has a (healthy) obsession with social media! It’s our job to stay in-the-know and keep tabs on important social media news, developments, and site improvements. However, as an UnFranchise® Owner, staying up to date on all-things social media can be difficult if you want to get anything else done! That’s why we’ve compiled this list of noteworthy social media news from last week that is relevant to you and your business. Enjoy!

LinkedIn turns 10 years old

Happy Birthday LinkedIn! Can you believe that LinkedIn has been around for a whopping 10 years? And boy has it changed! Check out this post from Mashable to see how the social network has evolved over the years.

Instagram has a new tagging feature

Have you heard about the new tagging feature on Instagram? Now when you upload a photo to Instagram, tagging someone in the photo is as easy as tagging someone on Facebook! To access the feature, you must have the most recent Instagram update (which you can download from your smartphone app store). Read more about this cool update on Social Media Today, or see what Loren Ridinger has to say about it on her blog!

Promote your business by sharing content from our product pages!

If you want to talk about your business on social media, but don’t want to turn your friends off by sounding like a pushy salesperson, we have a solution! Follow our product pages on social media to get updates on recently posted, eye-catching content that is perfect for sharing on your own social media pages! For a list of social media pages and more social media sharing tips, check out this ma Blog post.

How to rock your social media sites…in only 30 minutes a day!

While this article is geared more towards brands and company community managers, the suggestions for how to manage your profiles in 30 minutes are on point! Plus, they’ve included a fun infographic that makes the information THAT much more interesting.  Read it here.

How to stop embarrassing yourself online

Whether we realize it or not, we have all posted something somewhere online that doesn’t make us look good. Regardless of what it is or where it was posted, this article from Lifehacker will open your eyes to how you could be embarrassing yourself online without even realizing it, and-more importantly-how to stop for good.

Simple tips for getting “good” at Twitter

Twitter can be confusing for some, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re relatively new to Twitter, make sure to check out these 9 simple Twitter tips and tricks that will help to improve your overall Twitter experience. 

Have you come across any noteworthy social media news that we didn’t include here? Let us know! Post a link to the article and your thoughts about it in the comment section below!