By Beth Graddon- Hodgson
You might think that it’s only your actual blog content that is going to get people to stop by and read, but images play a big role, too. They can help make your blog posts appear more professional and attractive, but that’s really only a small portion of their benefits.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
For one thing, the images can drive traffic to your blog. People search for usable photos just about as often as they search for information online. When you post a photo and use your blogging tool to upload it with a title, relevant keywords and a caption, you’re creating another way for people to find you on search engines. This can encourage them to either read your blog content while they’re already found themselves on your site, or give you a link back if they decide to use your image on their own blog or site.
(Quick note - I thought this was a great time to try out the Wordpress free photo plugin from Crestock. Works GREAT just search "free photo" in your directory or download it here.
Of course, photo usage needs to be done carefully, or you might find yourself at the losing end of a lawsuit. Not all of the pictures you upload on your blog need to be yours, but these are the guidelines to follow before you put a picture on your post:
I realized after 8 years in business I've seen some trends in how entrepreneurs kick off a new year. One thing I know I need to work on is calibrating the right sense of urgency in terms of all my goals and plans for 2011. This seems to be an issue for many small business owners as well. It's not easy to keep everything in balance this time of year - not burning out too fast OR taking too long to plan. See if you can identify any of your own traits in these characterizations:
, was released in February 2010, and immediately made the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists. Harvey is a nationally syndicated columnist and has been named one of the top five speakers in the world by Toastmasters International. He is chairman of the $100 million MackayMitchell Envelope Company, a company he started in 1960. 
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We’ve all been there - some clients wants to use those cool “social media site things” as part of their marketing mix. And hey - they work! New technology marketing tools, including social media, can be incredibly effective for certain businesses in increasing their business success. But there are still certain gaps between the marketing tools and the communication tools used between a business and their marketing practitioners, right? Wrong. Totally wrong.
Using the next generation of online tools that are out there can plug some of the gaps you may have in providing the kind of customer service that will create an experience that your competitors can’t match. Here are 5 ways this type of technology will garner great amounts of love from your clients.