Featured are two writing samples. One is a creative blog piece while the other is a professional proposal. Both were strategized, drafted, edited, and delivered/published by me.

Create Voltage with a DIY Magnetic Generator

The weather may be changing and outdoor activities are slowing down, but Apex Magnets has your weekend indoor activities covered with this magnetic generator experiment. Continue reading to discover how you can create your own mini generator to create voltage and light an LED bulb with magnets. 

What you’ll need:

• Cardboard tube 
• 30 gauge enamel-coated magnet wire
• 2 1″ x 3/16″ countersunk ring magnets
  • Any disc magnet would work for this project, but the countersunk ring created space for the glue
• Motor, battery pack, pulleys, small metal rod, vertical supports
  • Hint: try this kit 
• 2 AA batteries
• Soldering iron
• Scrap wood
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Voltage meter
• Pliers and utility knife
• LED light
• Compass

Use the steps below and follow along with our how-to video to create your own magnet generator!

Steps:

1. First, create the coil. Take your cardboard tube and tightly wind the enamel-coated magnet wire around it. You will need to wrap the wire over 100 times. The more wire in the coil, the higher the output. Then, carefully remove the enamel coating from about 2 inches of the wire ends by using the utility knife to scrape it off.
2. Solder the wires from the battery pack to the terminals on the motor, making sure the polarity is correct. Insert batteries into the battery pack to ensure the motor spins.
3. Using the hot glue gun, glue two countersunk ring magnets together with a small metal rod in between them. Do not center the rod: leave one side longer than the other, as you will add a pulley to that side in a later step. Use the compass to ensure the opposing faces of the magnets are opposite poles.
4. Complete the generator by attaching the coil to the scrap piece of wood with hot glue. On either side of the coil, attach two vertical supports to the piece of wood. Insert the rod holding the magnets through the vertical supports and as close to the coil as possible. Slide a pulley onto the long end of the rod, holding the magnets on the outside of the vertical supports and attach to the motor. Secure the motor to the piece of wood with hot glue. Turn on to spin magnets.
5. Attach your completed generator to a voltage meter (on the AC voltage setting) to measure the output. Once you get a reading, detach the meter.
6. Attach the generator to your LED light and watch the energy light the bulb!

There you have it — your own generator! This experiment will provide hours of indoor fun instead of hibernating winter away in front of the television.

Try Apex Magnets

To take the experiment to the next level, try using other Apex products and bulbs to test the voltage output and share your favorite version of this experiment on our Facebook page.

Proposal for Digital Marketing Services

Our Company

Cosmitto is a Pittsburgh-based digital marketing firm specializing in content creation, paid acquisition, social media management, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and analytics. But those are just the tools—what we do day-to-day is work with businesses and organizations to tell stories that foster lasting customer relationships and drive measurable results.

We are proud to work with B2B and B2C clients of all sizes in a variety of industries, ranging from healthcare and law to e-commerce and technology. Additionally, Cosmitto partners with software companies, marketing agencies, and other small businesses to advance our strategies and results. 

Our Team

When working with Cosmitto, you will interact with a diverse team of digital strategists, account managers, ad specialists, and content writers trained in inbound marketing. Our specialized and customized approach fosters a rich system of checks and balances that allows for timely, high-quality deliverables. 

Your team will be comprised of the following members:* 

• Account Manager
• Content Specialist 

*Specific team members will depend on the service(s) pursued with Cosmitto. 

Your team will also provide ongoing management and reporting through:

• Bi-weekly status calls or check-in emails
• Monthly reporting documents and review calls

Proposal Overview

Cosmitto will work closely with Gus Gear to strategize, develop, and implement a digital marketing strategy to help the business continue to grow their eCommerce sales and reach both B2C and B2B audiences. The proposal below includes details on the services in which Gus Gear has an immediate need as expressed by Gus Gear, as well as a list of services for future considerations. This proposal is not set in stone and can be adapted to better fit Gus Gear’s needs after initial review.

Proposal

Social Media Creation + Management 

To increase Gus Gear’s digital presence and improve brand awareness, Cosmitto recommends consistently utilizing Gus Gear’s existing Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts. Our team will be responsible for creating, scheduling, and publishing creative original content as well as curating and publishing external content related to Gus Gear, disability and rare diseases, accessibility, and additional relevant topics as defined by Gus Gear. 

Prior to starting any content creation, Cosmitto will work with Gus Gear to create a list of reputable businesses, organizations, websites, and other sources that align with the brand and its products. This list could include, but is not limited to, the resources already laid out by the Gus Gear team on the new website: The Oley Foundation, The Youth Rally, Caring Bridge, MMIHS, The Phoenix, and The Safety Sleeper. 

Depending on the preferences of Gus Gear, Cosmitto will provide either a weekly or bi-weely posting calendar for approval at the cadence of five posts per week for Facebook, three posts per week for Instagram and LinkedIn, and two posts a week for Instagram Stories. Cosmitto will also monitor the accounts and respond to comments, tagged posts, and private messages after reviewing with the client. We will also use tracking codes to better monitor the performance of the posts directing traffic from social media to the website.

Facebook 

Cosmitto recommends five posts a week on Gus Gear’s Facebook. Content will be tailored to the platform and prioritize a B2C audience. Because Gus Gear was built by and for community, Cosmitto will focus on creating and curating content that speaks to the community behind Gus Gear, their products, and their former, current, and prospective customers. Content would include, but is not limited to, sharing company and product updates, describing the details and benefits of each product, sharing user-generated content (UGC) submitted or posted by satisfied customers (with permission), insight into the diseases and disorders that would benefit from Gus Gear products, curated news on accessibility, inclusivity, and other relevant topics, and inspirational quotes and messages for the community. 

Cosmitto would encourage UGC by informing followers to tag the company on posts or send them a message directly if their accounts/posts are private. In keeping with the community-based value, Cosmitto will also post content that asks questions or provides ways for followers to engage with the content beyond just viewing it or reacting to it. 

Instagram [posts]

Cosmitto recommends three posts a week on Gus Gear’s Instagram feed. Content will be tailored to the platform and prioritize a B2C audience. Because Instagram is a highly visual platform, Cosmitto recommends creating and curating content that is more lifestyle-based and has a human element to it visually. Content would include, but is not limited to, sharing company and product updates, describing the details and benefits of each product, sharing user-generated content submitted or posted by satisfied customers (with permission), insight into the diseases and disorders that would benefit from Gus Gear products, and other relevant content as defined by Gus Gear and Cosmitto during the kickoff call. 

We also recommend creating brand-consistent, high-quality quote graphics and informative graphics to encourage sharing and reposting. This information will be from Sarah and other sources and will be credited appropriately. 

Cosmitto would encourage UGC by informing followers to tag the company on posts, use #GusGear or #GusGearLove when posting, or send them a direct message if their accounts/posts are private. 

Instagram [stories]

To further brand the Gus Gear Instagram account and increase visibility with a different type of content, Cosmitto recommends creating content for Instagram Stories at a cadence of two posts a week and managing the highlights section of the platform to provide a more permanent place to archive this content. Because Instagram Stories are interactive, we recommend posting multi-slide Stories that highlight the various products, their features/benefits, and their color options, sizing information and other useful resources, testimonials/reviews, and other content that is not necessarily featured on the platform’s feed. 

LinkedIn  

To reach and foster relationships with a B2B audience, Cosmitto recommends three posts a week on Gus Gear’s LinkedIn. Content will be tailored to the platform, and each post will include a link—either to the Gus Gear website or a credible resource—and hashtags used and searched by the intended audience. While content will be similar to what is shared on the other social platforms, the message will be reworked to better serve the B2B audience and how a partnership with Gus Gear could benefit their clients, customers, and/or patients. Focus will be placed on company and product updates, including curated content that mentions Gus Gear, partner and customer testimonials, benefits of partnering with Gus Gear, how the products benefit customers with specific diseases and disorders, and curated news on accessibility, inclusivity, and other relevant topics.

Social Media – Platform Optimizations 

If there are not any restrictions on setting up the shopping features for Facebook and Instagram, we also recommend setting up these storefronts. 

Email Marketing

As a way to nurture current and prospective customers, Cosmitto recommends that Gus Gear distributes a newsletter every month to share company updates, customer success stories and other user-generated content, coupons, products, and a message from Sarah. Cosmitto will also be responsible for building a custom template for Gus Gear’s email newsletter in MailChimp. 

Please note that the content suggested for the proposed newsletters is only an initial direction and will be further strategized by Cosmitto based on ongoing conversations between the team and Gus Gear.

At the end of each month, Cosmitto will pull together a comprehensive, customized metrics report that compiles data from all services pursued through our agency.

Future Considerations

Search Engine Optimization

SEO best practices provide insight into what Gus Gear’s target audience is searching from a keyword standpoint. Once we complete keyword research, we execute a full website SEO audit that looks at both the technical limitations and on-site content that could be leading to lower search engine rankings. 

From the audit, our team prescribes an SEO implementation plan to align web content with the initial keyword strategy. This plan includes rewriting on-page copy and meta copy to incorporate keywords for gusgear.net.

Content Creation – Blogs

Cosmitto will create and manage a shared editorial calendar, brainstorm blog topics, and produce two keyword-rich blogs a month for Gus Gear. Because the company found its roots in support and advocacy groups, we recommend creating useful, sharable content for these communities. Our approach to content would come from a caretaker perspective—we recommend writing blog content around common issues that caretakers face and creating a hub for online support and resources on the site to house this information. We would recommend dedicating one of these blogs a month or every other month—based on Sarah’s availability and interest—as a piece written on behalf of Sarah about her experience to help share more of the “why” and “how” behind the Gus Gear brand and products.

Digital Advertising

Facebook/Instagram 

To increase brand awareness for Gus Gear, Cosmitto recommends running a Facebook/Instagram traffic ad campaign to a blog on the website that shares a feel-good story from the company and gets to the heart of the “why” behind the products and how they benefit customers. Once visitors are on the blog, they will see multiple calls to action to shop Gus Gear’s products. After the campaign is optimized, we will then introduce a remarketing campaign* that will target visitors who have already shown interest in the blog with a shopping ad for Gus Gear products. 

* In order to run a remarketing campaign, we will need to implement the Facebook pixel on the website.

Google Display

The Google Display Network will generate traffic for the Gus Gear website at a budget-friendly cost. Display also ensures that ads appear on pages the desired audience already frequents and provides the option of remarketing campaigns. 

Gmail 

Alternatively to Google Display, Cosmitto recommends Gmail advertising in an effort to capture early adopters where they already are — their inboxes. These ads will appear to the target audience in a more personalized, streamlined format, which encourages engagement. Also, because Google does not set the same restrictions on audience targeting as Facebook, our team can tailor the audience to reach those who are interested in or would benefit from Gus Gear’s products.