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10 Great Sites to Easily Add Graphics to Your Content

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By James White

Great images and illustrations are crucial to generating viewer interest and engagement with your site. However, unless you’re a professional photographer or designer, finding fresh, interesting graphics to add to your text can be difficult. Luckily, there are sites online that offer great visual content that can be easily added to your site.

Unsplash

Unsplash features free, copyright-free, high-resolution photos. They post 10 new photos every 10 days, so you won’t run out of great images for your content. You can subscribe to the site to get alerts when they post new images, too.

Picjumbo

Like Unsplash, Picjumbo offers free photos to use with your content. There is a new photo posted every day, and you can subscribe to their newsletter to stay on top of new offerings.

NVD3.js

This content site, NVD3.js, may have a strange name, but it has great content. Need a chart for your article or blog? NVD3.js gives you a plethora of pre-made graphs you can customize with your data. You’ll need to know a little about coding to use this site, though.

Lettering.JS

Lettering.JS is a jQuery plug-in that allows you to create your own graphic text, kerning type, logos and more. If you ever wanted to jazz up your content’s text, this is the tool to use.

Scrollorama

Have you ever thought, “Gee, I wonder how blogs make their text zoom and spin when you scroll down the page?” Well, Scrollorama can make your content dreams come true in the form of a jQuery plug-in. This tool will help you make text flip, zoom, fade and practically jump through hoops.

Mapbox

Trying to explain what your town would look like with a few adjustments? Decided to map out your next road trip? Want to illustrate what the Union would look like if France never sold the United States all that land? If so, Mapbox can help. This tool helps you create the map of your dreams and post it with your content.

Flat Icons

Elegant Themes offers 384 flat icons you can download for free. All you have to do is press the download button, and all of the icons are at your fingertips in just seconds.

Ease.ly

Infographics are a huge crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t like ingesting bite-size information with a scoop of interesting illustrations? Ease.ly is one of the top free infographic tools online. You can use it to build your own custom infographics, like this example from CJ Pony Parts, for your site.

Meme Generator

Okay, infographics are hot right now, but nothing can beat the meme when it comes to graphics popularity. You can create your own meme to fit any occasion using the Meme Generator. It allows you to edit already popular memes to fit your needs, or you can make one from scratch. Don’t feel like making or editing a meme? Just use one that someone else created (with attribution, of course).

Openclipart

Clip art may be the old stand-by for graphics, but it’s never gone out of style. Openclipart offers thousands of images that you can download and use. There’s everything from cartoon bunnies to drawings of sticks and everything in-between.

Text got you down? Take any or all of these tools out for a test drive, and you’ll never have boring content again.

Author’s Bio: James works for Inbound Marketing, Inc. and is the founder of InfoBros. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and blogging about health, tech and communication. Connect with him on Twitter at @JGtheSavage.

Making Google+ Work for Your Business

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By Brittany Thorley

Google+ is fast becoming a vital part of social media marketing for businesses of all sizes, yet still many professionals are unsure about what the social platform can do for their company and how they can get started with a business-focused profile that gets their name and ethos out there.

Despite launching in 2011, Google+ has surpassed the active user numbers of Twitter making it the second largest social networking site in the world. Back in May 2013, Google+ reported a total of 500 million registered users worldwide and with 235 million of those users actively updating their circles and looking for interesting information on a personal and professional level, businesses that aren’t utilising this platform are inevitably missing out!

But for those unfamiliar with this platform, how can you get started? We have compiled the essential steps for getting started with Google+, plus a few more top tips on how to make the most out of the platform to boost business, extend your customer reach, and get your company noticed by the people who matter.

Getting Started

Setting up your business page with Google+ couldn’t be easier! But before you begin you must create a personal profile; from here you can create a page for your business by simply clicking ‘create a page’ in the right hand corner of your profile. Setting up a personal profile will also enable you to claim authorship to enable you to gain influence and build authority.

Google+ will take you through the process of setting up a business page step-by-step. You can add your business type, tagline, profile photo or logo, website URL, social links and company details to personalise your business profile and make it identifiable to your target audience.

Posting on Google+

Once you have completed your profile, you can start adding existing contacts and posting to your profile. Like Facebook, you can share pictures, videos and links to let potential customers and clients get to know your business. When posting always think about what you want to achieve and how you want your brand to be portrayed in the public domain and your specific industry. Ensure all posts are as engaging as possible and convey your business’ unique selling propositions (either directly or indirectly) as well as occasionally promoting your products or services. In addition to this, keep posts personal and authentic.

Know Your Customer

When it comes to launching any social media marketing campaign, how well you know your customer can make or break your efforts, so make sure you are prepared and incorporate your customers’ wants and needs into your social media objectives. Before you start posting, devise a few ideas about what images, videos and links will be of interest to your customers and what offers and information will get them talking about your business.

Get Your Timing Right

It’s not just what you post that can affect your campaign’s success, it’s also when you post to your Google+ account. The peak times for sharing on Google+ are from 11am to 2pm and 7pm to 10pm Eastern US time, so focus your efforts on posting at these particular periods.

Use #Hashtags

Like Twitter, Google+ supports the use of hashtags to give you the exposure you need to the right followers. Insert simple and relevant hashtags in every post to ensure your social media interactions are targeted and sharable – who knows you may be trending very soon!

Author’s Bio: Brittany Thorley handles the social media and marketing activities for a range of businesses, including the Personal Statement Service, a student-focused company that provides writing advice and personal statement examples.

Thank you Brittany! Those are some great tips.
I’d add that the Google+ community, in particular, tends to reward exclusive content and well-thought-out articles, rather than simply posting a link to your blog posts or other social media updates.

Rosemary

5 (more) Apps That Make My Business Life Easier

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I’m a technology magpie, flying around poking and picking up shiny objects. I bring them back to my nest and play with them for a while, trying to decide if they’re worthy of a permanent space on my phone, iPad, or desktop.

To justify my habit, I share what I’ve found. That way I can tell myself I’m doing it “for work.”

Here are the 5 mobile apps that have improved my work productivity.

Sunrise Calendar

I have to admit that I didn’t find this one. My husband did, and it was surprising to me that he was “cheating on” Fantastical, the most recent calendar app we’d fallen in love with. However, Sunrise is even more beautiful than Fantastical. It easily brings together all of your disparate calendars into one interface, and adding events is a breeze. It analyzes the words used in your event titles, and uses appropriate icons (anything with “party” in it triggers a balloon). Did I mention that it’s free?

Sunrise Calendar

Yodelay

This cool app does one thing–it helps you stay on top of your search engine rankings. You tell Yodelay which search terms you’re trying to rank for, and it will keep running data on where your site falls in the list. This is useful because it’s difficult to get “pure” unpersonalized information by searching yourself. This one is also free.

Yodelay SEO App

Lanyrd

Lanyrd on the desktop is pretty awesome, with conference/event speakers, schedules, attendee lists, and a million ways to connect with them. The mobile app is also extremely useful. Open it up during a conference, and have instant access to your fellow attendees, that conference agenda you left at breakfast, official hashtag, and more. Set up a “want to meet” alert so you never miss out on meeting those important contacts again. It’s free, and available on both iPhone and Android, as well as iPad.

Lanyrd on iPad

30/30 Task Manager

The 30/30 app is for anyone who needs extra help staying on task. Use it to set up a series of tasks, with estimated completion times, and it will alert you when it’s time to move on to the next task. The interface is easy and fun to use, and knowing there’s a clock ticking down will either spark your competitive juices, or drive you crazy. After some trial and error, I’ve decided that it’s used best for a series of recurring tasks (for example, your wake-up routine).

30/30 Task Management

vSnap

Another handy app is vSnap, a single-purpose app that just makes it crazy easy to send a quick (less than 60 seconds) personal video to your contacts. It differs from Vine or Instagram videos in that it’s meant to be a one-to-one communication. Contacts who receive the videos don’t have to have an account or login, and they simply click a link to see your video. Great for adding a personal touch to your business communications, without having to send a huge file. This one has a free version, but paid upgrades available.

vSnap video app
Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Your Brand Voice – Which Social Networking Site is the Best For You?

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By Ryan Connors

The first step in deciding which social networking sites are best for promoting your blog is really learning more about who your ideal readers are. If you don’t know who you’re talking to, how can you know where to find them? By identifying your blog’s “brand” identity before you start any type of marketing regimen you’re saving yourself tons of time and effort in wasted research.

Whether you write a food blog, a tech blog, or even a parenting blog, there’s a social outlet perfectly suited to your customer base. Below we take a look at some of the most popular social networking sites and break down which sites are best for which types of blog.

So, which social networking site is best for you?

FACEBOOK

Facebook is the granddaddy of social networking and it’s still a great place to be. If you’re going to engage in only one type of social networking, Facebook should likely be it. The site provides the most opportunities for marketing and a diverse array of ways to promote your blog. Odds are, your customers are on Facebook if nowhere else.

TWITTER

Twitter is a terrific platform if your blog industry is fast-changing. When you have a constant need to put out new content (“Check out this cool new product!” or “New blog post!”), Twitter is the place to be. It’s also a good network to use if you plan on interacting with other bloggers a lot. If you’re going to be on Twitter, however, be sure you can commit to updating daily at the very least.

LINKEDIN

Is your blog more professionally-focused than personal? If the information you put out pertains to businesses more than individuals (or perhaps to individuals engaged in business) then LinkedIn may be a great spot to invest in. LinkedIn allows you to post content, start discussions, and even endorse other members for certain skills. More than that, though, it can be a great data mine to come up with your next blog topic or to find out what people in certain industries are talking about.

PINTEREST/INSTAGRAM

Pinterest and Instagram are similar enough that they can be grouped together, although you should probably focus your efforts on one or the other to avoid repeat content on two sites. If your blog features lots and lots of photos, whether of hair, houses, or ham sandwiches, a photo-sharing platform is a smart choice. Be sure you can update regularly and that you’ve got the conditions (and a good enough camera phone) to take sharable photos. And learn the power of hashtags before you begin.

YOUTUBE

Many people don’t consider YouTube a “social networking” site but it absolutely is. If you’re not consistently producing videos, YouTube is not the place for you; however, it’s worth considering if you write about a subject matter that’s video-friendly. For example, if you run a craft blog, why not post informational videos on how to best use certain products? The great thing about YouTube is that production quality doesn’t have to be high – as long as the quality of your content is.

Deciding which social networking site is right for your blog promotion is up to you, but it’s always smart to research before you spread yourself too thin. In general, choose two to three sites to focus all your effort on and ignore the rest. It’s better to be a big presence on one or two sites than a tiny presence on ten.

Author’s Bio: Ryan Connors is a product manager at BizShark.com, with 5 years experience in online marketing and product development. In addition to web related businesses, he also enjoys the latest news and information on emerging technologies and open source projects.

How Will Your Social Media Situation Look in One Year?

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By Jennifer Dunn

Between all the other activities you must do every day as a business owner, keeping up with new and exciting trends probably isn’t the highest on your list. This can be especially true with latest social media bandwagons – you’re already on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. What else are you supposed to do?

Not keeping up with these trends, though, may actually be hurting your bottom line. While it may be a little obnoxious that web users bounce from social media site to social media site, you have to follow your customers. This involves learning what they’re both currently using and what’s up next.

Want a little help? Here are a few services to check out.

New Trends

Think video would work well with your business but don’t have a camera nor the time to spend editing something for YouTube? Then Vine is perfect for you. You may have seen these micro-videos around the web already as the Twitter owned service blew up pretty quickly after it was launched.

Vine works because it is super simple to use. After you download the app, you simply hold the screen to record video or just tap it to record a frame/picture. Your limit is 7 seconds, so be brief! Although it doesn’t seem like you can really get much in during that short amount of time, businesses have made some amazing things with Vine.

Another social media bandwagon you should hop on is Google Plus. “But wait,” you might ask. “I thought that ship had sailed?” Sure, that’s what the general consensus was…up until Google Plus passed Twitter as the #2 social media site. Now it’s apparent Plus is here to stay.

What’s there for your business? Besides yet another profile for you to fill out, make sure to take advantage of Hangouts. These video-based interactions are an amazing way to engage with your customers and fans in many different ways. For an example, look at what Major League Soccer has done with it.

Up and Comers

How often have you or someone you know used Facebook and exclaimed how annoyed you are with how complicated it’s become? You might use the service a little more if it wasn’t just so “busy” all the time. Between all the games, ads, and constant updates about what people ate for dinner it’s hard to actually do anything of substance.

This is why simplicity is going to be a factor in the future when it comes to social media. One service, Potluck, reduces social media to sharing cool stuff with your friends. You find a neat link, post it, and your friends (and their friends, their friends’ friends, etc.) can talk about it. That’s the extent of the site.

Even cooler, it’s a website now, but it’s actually designed to be a smartphone app. This means people waiting in line for coffee, bored at work, or taking a trip to the bathroom will be able to see the stuff your business account shares.

Also on the horizon is Ghost, a true blogging site. The creators used to work at WordPress and felt like the site was moving towards making websites rather than letting people blog. That’s why Ghost is designed to let writers hop on and go to town rather than spending hours making their blog look fabulous. If you’ve ever had trouble getting your great content out there because WordPress or BlogSpot left you feeling like a website designer, then a platform like Ghost could be the way of the blog future.

What social media trends have you spotted recently?

Author’s Bio: Jennifer Escalona Dunn is the owner of Social Street Media where she writes about small business, tech and finance for sites like WePay and Outright. You can find her on Twitter @jennescalona.

Five Stimulating Ideas to Spark Your Creative Juices

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Have you ever found yourself staring at the screen, mindlessly sipping coffee, hoping that the caffeine will jump start a creative idea? Perhaps you’ve fallen victim to “the creativity crisis.” Or perhaps you just need a little slap upside the head.

Consider this your friendly nudge (my mom told me slapping isn’t nice).

Chris Brogan’s Blog Topics
If you’d like a dash of community with your writing prompts, Chris Brogan’s blog topics is your place. For $97.00, you’ll get 45 weeks of email newsletter updates with 10 or more blog topic ideas, writing advice, and more.

Mindmapping (Biggerplate or MindMeister)
Sometimes what you really need is to write things down and organize your thoughts. I’ve found that a creative block can happen like a logjam, where you have too many different ideas. Using a mindmap tool can break the logjam by getting some of the ideas out of your brain and into a repository. Both of these tools also offer access to community mindmaps…maybe someone else’s mindmap will spark an idea for you!

Unstuck App
If your primary issue is being “blocked” in general, the free Unstuck App comes to the rescue with a step by step action plan for moving forward. It doesn’t matter if your block is creative, emotional, work-related, or otherwise, this beautifully designed app will nudge you out of inertia.

Get creatively unstuck

Tour the Louvre Online
Step outside of your routine online, and visit a place that contains the creative juices of generations. Schedule 30 minutes with yourself, and wander around virtually, exploring the museum with no crowds moving you along. Sometimes getting away from your same-old industry blogs will get you thinking in a new direction.

Prompts
This is a very simple creative writing app that does one thing effectively–it offers hundreds of prompts and opening lines to jog your creative brain. Extra goodies are kept very minimal; there is a sharing tool, writing reminders, and habit tracking feature to discover your best days and times to write. If you have trouble staring at a blank page, this one might give you that little nudge you need. It’s $3.99 in the iTunes store.

What are your secret weapons for getting out of a creative block?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee