Tag Archive for: online marketing for small business

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Top 3 Stock Photo Websites

stock photo

A picture is worth a thousand words. This saying is very accurate! Using photos is extremely important as people are drawn more to photos rather than text. Using stock photos has become a very popular choice for people as it saves you the time and money of hiring a photographer. Stock photos can be found online and are already created and ready to be downloaded for your use. Before downloading a stock photo, you will need to pay for it in order to hold the license (although some websites do offer free stock photos).

Types of Uses for Stock Photos

There are two most common uses for stock photos: commercial use and editorial use.

Commercial Use:

  • Marketing
  • Social Media
  • Branding
  • Used on Your Website

Editorial Use:

Accompanying text content such as:

  • Blogs
  • Articles
  • Magazines
  • Newspapers

We have done extensive research on various stock photo websites and have come up with our top 3. Best of all, we have included paid and free options.

Pexels (Free)

Pexels is a royalty free, high-resolution photo marketplace. All photos on Pexels are free for commercial and personal use. Pexels offers thousands of photo options all at high resolution, and they even offer free stock videos as well. Unlike many stock photo websites, Pexels does not require you to register for an account – anyone can upload and download photos! Giving credit to the author is not necessary but is definitely appreciated by both Pexels and the author. Just remember, you CANNOT use these photos for resale.

Pixabay (Free)

Pixabay is another free stock photo website that offers photos, videos, vectors, illustrations and more. Currently, there are more than 1 million options to choose from on Pixabay. All contents are released under Creative Commons CC0. This makes them safe to use without asking for permission or giving credit to the author/artist. Like Pexels, Pixabay does not require you to create an account in order to download the photos, although certain features do require registration. You may not use the photos and videos from Pixabay for resale, but you can most definitely use the graphics they offer for personal or commercial use.

123rf (Paid)

123rf is a paid stock photo website that offers millions of options to choose from, however this is our personal favourite here at Rosewood. This stock photo site offers thousands of photos, videos, audio, and vectors. You can choose to either do a monthly subscription plan or pay for credits and top them up as you need them.

Each photo/video is downloaded based on size. You can choose to download small (2 credits), medium (4 credits), large (6 credits), or extra-large (10 credits). Typically for most uses, small will work just fine. However, if you require a higher resolution photo, you may want to purchase medium, large, or extra-large. Like Pexels and Pixabay, the contents offered on 123rf are not allowed for resale, unless you purchase an extended license. One thing that is especially great about 123rf is the customer support they offer. When you create an account, you will be assigned an account manager who can help you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Let’s Recap

After looking into Pexels, Pixabay and 123rf, we can honestly say that all three of the stock photo platforms are great! If you aren’t looking to spend money at this time, Pexels or Pixabay is a great option for you. If you are looking for a little bit of an improved and efficient library to choose from and are willing to pay for it, 123rf is your best option.

Let’s Connect

Rosewood is a digital marketing agency outside Toronto dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow their online presence. We work with clients across North America and Europe to identify, strategize and reach their marketing goals!

You can join the conversation online on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Or contact us to chat about your marketing goals for 2020!

Sign up for our Newsletter to keep up with our latest news!

Until next time,

Cassandra

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The Importance of Google Analytics

importance of google analytics roseewood va deanna simone

If you are a business owner or entrepreneur – chances are you heavily rely on the strength of your online presence and the traffic on your website to acquire clients and build your brand. Which is why it is with your best interest in mind that Rosewood recommends taking full advantage of Google Analytics! Google’s free web analytics service not only allows you to analyze in-depth detail about the visitors on your site, but it also provides valuable insights that can help you optimize the online strategy of your business.

Regardless of whether you run an e-commerce website or an informative blog, every business should understand and study the behaviour of their visitors to deliver better results. Keep reading for our reasons on why you should be regularly using Google Analytics to measure the success of your website – and by extension, your business as a whole.

Conversion Tracking

There is a feature which illustrates how many website conversions you have obtained by visitors on your site. It’s always great to know how many people have visited your site, and where they came from, but how do you know if those users are actually converting?

Google Analytics allows you to set up goals to track when a user completes a certain action on your site. Regardless of how many users each channel is driving to your site, it is essential to confirm that this traffic is actually converting.

Customer Engagement

Engagement metrics such as the bounce rate and average session duration can do wonders to show how well your website is performing. Google Analytics has a number of features that allow you to review how well users are interacting with your website and content. These metrics monitor different aspects of the customer journey, showing how the customer has interacted.

You can also view these statistics against individual pages, giving you a better idea as to what pages are doing well, and which may need optimizing to improve their user experience. Perhaps a page is taking too long to load, or there is too much text and not enough images – leaving the visitor impatient and uninterested. There may be hidden clues to these types of issues in the customer engagement metrics of your site.

Our Top Metrics to Keep an Eye on

  1. # of visitors on website
  2. Average visit length
  3. # of number of pages viewed
  4. Average time on page
  5. Most popular pages on your website
  6. Visitor demographics such as – gender, age, city location, etc.

Converting Data into Business Goals 

Google Analytics data on its own can tell you a lot about website performance. And this information can be very crucial to devising and improving your business plan moving forward. However, you must have a goal in mind for the data to be of use.

True performance tracking and improvement comes from comparisons on current results against previously set goals. Do you want people to get in touch? Download your how-to guide? Use specific goals to target what areas of your website you want to work on.

How Rosewood Can Help

Now that you’re sold on the many business benefits of Google Analytics – feel free to get in touch with us to see how your metrics can skyrocket with our support and training services. If you are new to the analytics world, fear not! We can happily show you the ins and outs of how to use and track the analytics metrics of your website.

And to briefly summarize, Google Analytics can monitor the effectiveness of your online marketing strategies, content, user experience, and functionality on your website. Once you identify any issues your site may have, Rosewood can help you create a solution. Google Analytics provides you with the information needed to improve your website, and we strategize to make it happen!

Questions or Comments? Get in Touch!

Until Next Time,

Ananta

Content Coordinator

Rosewood Inc.

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5 Ways to Stay Focused this Summer

5 ways to stay focused this summer rosewood deanna simone

Summertime is officially in full effect – complete with rising temperatures, family activities, exciting trips, pleasant weather, and BBQs with friends. I am sure that almost every business owner can agree – it’s incredibly challenging to maintain the same level of focus on your work during the warmer months.

Let’s be real here – how are you supposed to maintain productivity with so much other stuff going on? That’s where this article can help! By implementing a few simple changes to your routine, you will be shocked at how productive your summers will become! Check out our top 5 summer-specific tips to stay on task below.

  1. Take Breaks Often

Even if you only have 5 minutes to spare, always try to find ways to take a quick break to rejuvenate your mind and body. A few of my favourite tactics include:

  • Going for a walk around the block with my dog
  • Stepping outside and soaking in the sunlight for a few minutes
  • Powering through a quick yoga/pilates session to re-energize the muscles
  • Having a yummy and brain-boosting drink to cool off (my go-to favourites are fresh lemonade and fruit smoothies)
  • Taking a quick, 15-minute nap (if your physical location allows it)

Even just a few moments away from your desk can help put you back into the correct mindset to get things done.

  1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

If you have a special event or vacation coming up, remind yourself that keeping your work-life in order will make your time off even sweeter. If you set your priorities straight now and get your work under control before you go away, you will be able to enjoy it even more wholeheartedly. It is always less stressful to leave for a vacation when there isn’t any unfinished work or loose ends to worry about.

Our very own founder and CEO of Rosewood, Deanna Simone, reflects on her recent vacation to Europe – “I took my first vacation in almost 4 years since starting the business. I ensured that I had a team to cover the day-to-day operations and guarantee no fires started. It allowed me to rest and come back rejuvenated and with a renewed passion for my business!”

  1. Don’t Forget to Treat Yourself!

Plan to allow yourself to indulge in something you really love after you’ve completed tiresome tasks. For example, if you need to get through a long day (or week!) of client meetings and tedious paperwork, you may promise to treat yourself afterwards. This could be a trip to the movies, a bubble bath, a night out with friends, a massage, a new outfit, anything goes! Knowing you’ve earned your special treat will make your hard work that much more meaningful.

  1. Limit Time on Social Media

Try your absolute hardest to refrain from scanning the news feeds of your personal accounts until after you have finished your work for the day. When you’re trying to focus on work, seeing your friends vacation pictures won’t help you concentrate on what you need to accomplish.

A big portion of my own job as a social media coordinator, is to tend to the social media accounts of my clients. However, I am consistently working on fighting the urge to take a quick peek on what is happening on the news feeds of my personal accounts until my time is clear to do that.

  1. Find a Change of Scenery

Of course, it is understandable that getting away isn’t always an option. In those situations, consider moving your work somewhere outdoors for a change of scenery. For example, if I’m craving a breath of fresh air, I’ll take my laptop to a nice park, an outdoor cafe, or sometimes even the front porch or backyard will do. Just a simple and temporary change in your physical environment can do wonders for your mood and motivation.

Voila! By taking these 5 tips into consideration, you will quickly realize that summer doesn’t have to sabotage your business goals. You can enjoy what the season has to offer while staying focused on your career—all it takes is a little creativity and self-discipline.

Questions or Comments? Get in Touch!

Until Next Time,

Ananta

Content Coordinator

Rosewood Inc.

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