Bank OZK • 21st December 2021

Gift Your Time to Others and Save More Money

When you give someone a gift, it’s not about what you give them, but why you gave it in the first place. That is why investing your time – whether it is time spent with a friend, family member or loved one – is a better investment than physical items.

Here are some simple, but worthwhile, ways you can consider gifting quality time instead of material things.

Going on a quick walk in the park or making a block around the neighborhood is a great way to show someone you care about them. It’s ofte

Bank OZK • 21st December 2021

Cutting Out The Little Things Can Lead To Big Savings

When’s the last time you skipped the morning Starbucks drive-thru on the way to work? How many times have you made the decision to walk or bike to your neighborhood grocery store instead of driving there?

These choices might seem unimportant, but even the smallest changes in your daily routine can make a big difference in your bank account.

FGmarket.com • 21st December 2021

Personalize Your Subject Lines To Increase Email Open Rates

Have you ever used a personalized subject line in one of your many emails that you’ve sent out to customers?

You know, something like “You’ll love this deal, Stacy” or “We haven’t heard from you in awhile, Tim.”

Personalized subject lines have proved themselves to be great ways at getting customers to open your emails. And in a world where people get bombarded with hundreds of sales emails a day, open rates are more important than ever.

Bank OZK • 29th November 2021

12 Ways You Can Save This Holiday Season

The 2020 holiday shopping season was the biggest ever recorded, and experts are already predicting the 2021 season will beat last year’s record by a significant margin.

According to data from the National Retail Federation*, holiday retail sales grew by 8.2% over the previous year and are expected to grow by 8.5% – 10.5% in 2021. In total, retail sales are expected to be between $843.4 billion and $859 billion, a significant increase over the $777.3 billion that shattered records in 2020.

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 30th April 2021

There Is No Planet B

In a recent statement, 11 General Agencies of The United Methodist Church pledged to achieve net-zero emissions across ministries, facilities, operations, and investments by the year 2050.

The pledge, “Our Climate Commitment to Net-Zero Emissions,” is signed by General Secretaries for each of the 11 Agencies. Two of the Agencies, The General Commission on Religion & Race and The United Methodist Publishing House, have not yet signed on to the pledge, but a press release stated that other Agenci

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 3rd February 2021

Simple + Sweet Creamery Fights Childhood Hunger With Handmade Artisan Ice Cream

What if an ice cream shop could also serve as a way to feed hungry and food-insecure children in Arkansas? That’s the driving force behind Northwest Arkansas’ newest artisanal ice cream shop, Simple + Sweet Creamery.

In 2019, Coleman Warren, Simple + Sweet’s co-founder, was serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Omaha, Nebraska. Warren and his girlfriend, Bailee King, were helping to serve upwards of 600 kids a day at a large food bank in the Omaha area called the Food Bank for the Heartland. Wa

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 5th August 2020

Cross-Racial, Cross-Cultural Appointments Offer A Chance To Grow In Understanding and Compassion

The Rev. Andrea’ Cummings wants to be treated just the same as any other pastor moving into a new appointment. The 39-year-old elder is the new associate pastor at First United Methodist Church Bentonville and, along with new senior pastor the Rev. J.J. Whitney, leads her church in the vibrant and rapidly growing community of Bentonville, Arkansas. She also happens to be the first Black clergy member to ever be appointed to Bentonville First in the church’s centuries-old history. Benton County,

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 1st July 2020

Wear A Mask, Keep Your Neighbors Safe

How did we get to the point where asking someone to wear a mask is a political issue?

And yet, somehow, inexplicably, that’s exactly where we stand.

At the time of this writing, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Arkansas stands at just over 20,000, with nearly 6,000 active cases in the state. That includes about 300 hospitalizations, 63 persons on a ventilator, and 265 Arkansans — people of all races, religions, genders, and ages — who have died from this terrible, unseen enemy.

And compa

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 20th May 2020

Fox & Foal Draw on Methodist Roots for Folk-Inspired Worship

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a struggle for everyone. The entire world, every industry, has been touched by this highly contagious, unseen enemy.

It’s not just pastors and churches that have struggled to find ways to connect to their once bustling and vibrant communities; musicians have really taken a hit as well.

But that hasn’t stopped Brooke Hobbs and David Williams from doing what makes them happy. Through their folk-inspired worship band Fox & Foal, the two young musicians are taking wh

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 20th February 2020

A Clear Vision

In the Gospel of Mark, we witness one of the few times that a recipient of Jesus’ miraculous healing power is named. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, receives the gift of sight from Christ while Jesus and his disciples are on their way through Jericho.

Oaklawn United Methodist Church realizes the necessity of a good pair of eyeglasses, and through their Bart’s Place Eye Clinic, named after Bartimaeus from the Gospel of Mark, they are able to freely give the gift of sight to disadvantaged patrons i

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 18th December 2019

Family, Faith and Fresh Baked Bread

In 2018, things were going pretty well for John and Juli Brandenberger. Both of them had comfy, good-paying jobs, — John at Dillard’s Corporate Office and Juli a CPA with her own accounting firm — stable day-to-day work schedules, and plenty of reasons to continue their life journey in the direction it was currently going.

By most people’s accounts, things were going amazingly well for the Brandenbergers. But, according to John and Juli, they felt like missing something truly important was miss

Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church • 10th December 2018

The season of outrage!

The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year.

Not just for the typical festivities like family gatherings, gift exchanges, the colorful lights, good food, the beauty surrounding the celebration of the birth of Christ, and eggnog – yes, I am a believer in the delicious, sugary, fatty delight that is holiday nog; don’t tweet at me.

But I also just love the spirit of the season. It’s a time when good cheer is aplenty, and folks seem to realize they can take things a little slower and lea

FGmarket.com • 10th November 2017

Don’t Get Stuck In The “Because We’ve Always Done It This Way” Mindset

How many times have you heard this in your own company: “Well, we’ve always done it this way, so I think it’s safe if we just continue to follow the same plan that we’ve always had. It’s too risky to try to something new.”

There are many companies out there with leadership that thinks this way. And, whether they know it or not, this type of thinking is causing their company to remain stagnant, while other companies grow and surpass them in sales.

If you feel like this is your current mindset,

FGmarket.com • 27th October 2017

Easily Add Video Content To Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

You’ve probably heard about this trend: simple blogging is heading out the door. Video marketing is the new king of content.

For the most part, that statement is correct. Although, that doesn’t mean you should drop blogging and traditional content creation altogether. What it does mean, however, is that your business should be pivoting toward adding video to your marketing strategy.

Video content is the most consumed form of content on the internet today. In fact, according to YouTube, almost

FGmarket.com • 13th October 2017

Use Online Contests To Boost Interest In Your Company And Generate Leads

If you’re looking to maximize your company’s brand awareness and generate more leads than ever before, then online contests are a great way to accomplish both of these goals.

An online contest, whether through a social media post or through your website, is a fantastic way to get customers to pay attention to who you are and what your brand has to offer. And who doesn’t love to take their chances and enter a contest in the hopes of winning a great prize?

Websites like Rafflecopter and Woobox m

FGmarket.com • 8th September 2017

Responding To Your Reviews Is The Easiest Way To Gain Online Credibility

How often do you reply to the reviews you get online? Do you only reply to the positive reviews, or do you try to respond to the negative ones as well?

Believe it or not, replying to the reviews you receive, whether they’re positive, negative, or pretty neutral, is a great way to boost your online credibility and even your search engine rankings!

Here’s how it works: whenever you receive a review online, whether it’s on Google, your website, through your FGmarket vendor profile page, or somewh

FGmarket.com • 18th August 2017

How To Effectively Market Your Brand On Instagram

Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms on the internet today. What started out as a simple photo editing app in the early ’10s has evolved into a full-fledged photo-sharing social platform that billions of people around the world use every day.

With its popularity online steadily growing, Instagram is rich with marketing opportunities that you should be taking advantage of every day.

Are you looking for some easy to learn tips on how to effectively market your business

The Free Weekly • 18th July 2013

Fossils of Ancient Robots

Northwest Arkansas, home to vast farming fields, hunting and fishing, and Razorback sports, seems an unlikely place to find an 80s inspired rock band with an affinity for synthesizers, but that’s exactly the image 3-piece band Fossils of Ancient Robots is trying to alter.

Fronted by Eureka Springs native Caleb Lindsey, F.O.A.R. has been stirring up dancing shoes since 2009. Lindsey said F.O.A.R. came together after his other band, Livingston Hollow, disbanded.

The Free Weekly • 13th June 2013

Eureka Springs: Celebrate The Scenery – The Free Weekly

Nestled in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs is a popular tourist destination for many visiting Northwest Arkansas. Known for its Victorian-style buildings and natural beauty from the surrounding mountains and wildlife, Eureka Springs has even been dubbed “The Little Switzerland of America.”

But although Eureka is known for its beautiful scenery, it might be less known for its nightlife and live music.