by MelanieD | Dec 5, 2014 | Blog
Images are powerful.
Many of us have heard the statement, “science indicates that the human eye registers images 60,000 times faster than text.” While I’ve not been able to confirm that, I have found data* that states, “Presentations using visual aids were found to be 43% MORE PERSUASIVE than unaided presentations.” Good enough for me!
Without a doubt, any marketing material we produce is going to be more effective when we include images: photos, graphics, statistical charts and graphs…you get the idea! Just look at the wildly successful social media platforms Pinterest and Instagram!
According to a study published by Simply Measured, a social media analytics platform, in 2013 Pinterest grew by 10% and Instagram grew by 14%! That’s significant growth for photo- and image-sharing social platforms, and just reinforces the power and effectiveness of using images in our online marketing efforts.
Now that we’ve determined the power of using images, let’s talk about how the everyday business person can take advantage of this: finding images that are {legally} free to use, and creating original image content.
A few free image resources
There are several sources for {free} images on the web. Constant Contact has a very large image library with free images, and some of the other sites I often access are MorgueFile.com and RGBstock.com There are no license requirements, and there are literally thousands of free images available to download. I also have an account from graphicstock.com with a {purchased} license to download unlimited stock images and use in any project royalty-free. At last count, graphicstock.com had over 250,000 images! This article posted on Bufferapp.com lists several other resources for {free} images.
Now comes the creative part: turning those {free} images into original content for your social, email, blog, you name it use. Two of my favorite tools are Canva and PicMonkey. These are free tools that allow the user to upload original images, found images, or even use some of the images found in their library, add some text and filters, and voilá! As a matter-of-fact, the image in this blog post was created from an image I found on MorgueFile and edited in Canva. It can’t get too much easier for the average user to create original image content than that!
So, go ahead, and try it! Grab an image, drop it into Canva, add some text, and have fun!
disclaimer: the links in this article are NOT affiliate links
*http://misrc.umn.edu/workingpapers/fullpapers/1986/8611.pdf
by MelanieD | Nov 11, 2014 | Blog
It was time to get my daughter’s senior portraits taken, and an awesome photographer and family friend offered his services. So off we went, on a glorious day in October. One of his favorite places to shoot photos is the De Hart Botanical Gardens just south of Louisburg, NC. I had driven past the entrance to the Gardens many times, but never taken the time to stop for a visit. What a treat it was!
The entrance is marked with a small gazebo with a guest book of sorts, where visitors are asked to register. Then, off into the woods we went. The trails wind and wrap around, and then we were surprised with a lovely tranquil lake with turtles sunning on the rocks and lovely flora and fauna all around.
The De Hart Botanical Gardens was a recent gift to Louisburg College by the Allen de Hart Family. According to a press release from Louisburg College,
“The gift of the De Hart Gardens will mark one of the greatest historic developments in the 225-year history of the College,” says Louisburg College President Dr. Mark La Branche. “It represents an extraordinary legacy created by God, and fashioned through the mind, heart, and hands of Allen de Hart. This gift will more than double the land mass of our campus, and significantly expand our learning environment.”
The next time you have a few minutes to take an incredible nature walk, consider the trails at De Hart Botanical Gardens, and don’t forget your camera!
by MelanieD | Feb 10, 2014 | Blog
I checked in with my Facebook newsfeed a few minutes ago and noticed a friend had liked a local business page. I was curious, so checked out the page. It’s a general store that hasn’t opened its doors yet.
They just joined Facebook as a business page 12 hours ago. When I visited the page, there were already 97 fans. I decided to give them some FB love, and liked their page. It’s been 13 minutes and their fan count is up to 109. I’m not a mathematician, but that’s averaging 1 new fan every minute.
What does this tell us? A couple of things.
#1: It tells me that people (consumers, business men and women, community organizations) support the local economy. We are ready to shop local, buy local. The fans of this page are responding to requests by the store owners: offering suggestions for products, providing connections to other local suppliers, and giving moral support! Imagine if we all did this!
#2: It tells me that there is power in social media. My friend liked the page, so I liked the page. I will keep checking back on the progress and look for the grand opening. I will share the message and I’m sure many of their other fans will, too.
I encourage you to read this great blog post by my friend Robert Kastelic of Outside Raleigh Marketing & Media for a great perspective on Shopping Local.
I’m going back to Facebook now to invite my friends to like this page and to visit their store when it opens! Check them out at: facebook.com/WendellGeneralStore. And remember: Shop Local, Buy Local!
