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Digital Main Street: A Lifeline for Small Businesses

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There is something so iconic about a small main street business. It reminds one of a simpler time. They fill us with a sense togetherness, and truly serve as the heart of any community. But just because these small businesses might have a yesteryear feel doesn’t mean that their digital footprint should be lacking.

In a fast-moving digital culture, businesses of this nature have felt the threat from new shopping behaviors and technology. The Digital Main Street initiative was developed to aide these businesses and help them compete.

Created by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) with direct support from the City of Toronto, Digital Main Street (DMS) is a program and service that helps main street businesses achieve that digital transformation they need; through the adoption of digital tools and technology. The program element of DMS uses an online learning platform with structured training programs for business owners. While the Digital Service Squad, a team of highly trained recent graduates, helps main street businesses navigate the ins and outs of services like e-commerce platforms or social media posting.

Top Notch Support

Funded by the Ontario government and supported by a group of strategic corporate sponsors, including Google, MasterCard, Rogers, Microsoft and Shopify, DMS is a lifeline for businesses that would otherwise struggle to keep up with their online counterparts.

The onboarding process to join DMS is completely free and includes a digital assessment and recommended to-do list. This list identifies the technologies and tools that can help businesses meet their digital goals. Once the assessment is complete businesses can gain access to tools like email marketing, content development, e-commerce, search engine optimization, and much more.

And these businesses also qualify to receive exclusive discounts from the hundreds of digital vendors that belong to the DMS community.

The Digital Main Street $2500 Grant

One of the most appealing aspects of this program is the possibility of being awarded a $2500 grant. Qualifying businesses can prepare an official application and be reviewed by

DMS. If approved, the small business receives a $2500 grant to use towards their digital marketing efforts – no strings attached!

Rosewood: An Official Digital Main Street Vendor

DMS truly is a useful service for any small business looking to gain a stronger online presence and base for their customers, and Rosewood is pleased to announce that we have been one of DMS’s official vendors from the very inception of this concept.

If you are looking for more information on what Digital Main Street is; what it could do for your business; or if you could qualify for the free $2500 grant, please feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to sit down with you and give you some more comprehensive information.

Here’s to your success,

Until Next Time,

Deanna

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A Celebration of Success – Rosewood Turns Three

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Using Stock Photos for Your Business’s Online Marketing

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If you’re using social media for business, chances are you’ve used stock photos. The challenging part is knowing whether the photos you are using could be cause for a lawsuit! If you use stock photos, as a marketing manager or even HR manager who posts to social media, you’re going to want to read this one. I’m talking all about stock photo use and giving you my best kept secret stock photo source!

Copyright Infringement Can Lead to REAL Lawsuits

It’s easy to believe that the World Wide Web is so large that “no one will find out.” However, it is very simple to do a reverse lookup search for an image on the web.

A few years ago, stock photo giant Getty Images was actively searching out illegal uses of their images and mailing legal action warnings to businesses. I personally know of two business owners who received these letters (not my clients at the time!). The proposed fines were approximately $4000! It was a big news story, and really forced people to pay attention to their image sources.

Since that time, you really have to be careful about where you are getting your images.

Depending on budget, there are stock photos out there for every interest and industry. From healthcare to automotive, entrepreneurs to large corporations. I have researched many stock photo sites over the years and have narrowed my list of where I go for images down to these five.

My Top 5 Image Sources:

  1. pexels.com (Free!)
  2. pixabay.com (Free! This is my best kept secret, until now!)
  3. 123rf.com (mid-range)
  4. istockphoto.com (premium photos)
  5. fotolia.com (premium photos)

Watch for Licensing Regulations and Restrictions on Stock Photos

While the aforementioned sites offer images for sale, it’s important to check the license information. Some photos may be “for editorial use only”, meaning you cannot use them for business, simply for story-purposes. These are typically images of private buildings/events or government-related images. There are other regulations as well, such as using an image on items you plan to resell. It’s always best to double-check.

Common Questions:

Q: But I just shared the post, so I’m not liable, the other person is.

A: Technically, you have now shared it to your networks and are also responsible for the unlawful distribution of the content.

Q: Do I need to give author credit?

A: With stock photos that you have purchased, this is not required. I would recommend giving credit when you share an artist or colleague’s work with their permission, as a thank you.

So, before you use an image for your blog or social media marketing campaign, always remember to check the license and restrictions on image use. A little bit of extra legwork in the beginning can save you a major headache in the end. When in doubt, ask the author directly about use and photo credit.

What are some of your favourite stock photo websites? Please share in the comments!

If you’d like to discuss your website needs with us, or for more tips like these you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter as well for more education and inspiration!

Deanna

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