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5 Best Free Photo Websites in 2020

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by Amos Struck

Yes, I am going to tell you the 5 best free photo websites in this post.

However, you must first learn why it is necessary to use photos while developing a website or maybe for your marketing campaigns, building blogs, etc.

You must have heard this famous saying by Albert Einstein, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

It just never gets rusty because of its practical application. Imagine you are writing about the drought in Africa and want it to have maximum impact on your readers. What would you do? If it were up to me, I would search for a heart touching story.

Supposing, I am able to unearth the story of a single mother who travels several miles daily to get water for her children. Now, try comparing a piece of writing (narrating the story of that mother) with a picture of a woman carrying an infant and a water container in her arms, walking on barren land bare feet. Which would have more impact on the audience? You know the answer.

Because of the impact it has, the value of photos has increased. There are several sites where you can find premium quality images for any niche, including  marketing, trade, technology, etc.

In this post, I’ll give you a list of 5 best free photo websites that you can use. Let’s dive right in!

 

Pexels

Pexels is the most used free stock photo site, owing to the variety and quality of pictures available. It also provides free stock video clips, which can be used for various purposes like in a TVC.

Pexels offers a vast library of free photos and videos. Attribution is not compulsory, but giving credits to the photographer is always appreciated. You can find high definition images in almost every niche.

Pexels offers an unending variety of more than two million free stock photos (as of now). It really is justifiable that Pexels topped my list.

 

Pixabay

Pixabay is the second on my list, but there is one category where it surpasses Pexels.

Along with photos and videos, Pixabay also offers free vector illustration (Yes, with free-to-use vector source files).

Apart from this uniqueness, Pixabay also offers more about 1.7 million high resolution and free stock photos. They also have a quite decent and ample collection of videos.

Some experts rate Pixabay as the number 1 free photo site, and they might be right. I would say that both Pexels and Pixabay stand as equals.

 

Unsplash

With a library of over 1.5 million photos, Unsplash is the third most searched free stock photos’ website.

Unsplash has more than 50,000 contributors, and hundreds of photos get published on a daily basis. The part they lack is that Unsplash does not offer free stock videos like Pexels and Pixabay.

They offer only the best quality photos, and their stock is growing quite rapidly. You can use the images on Unsplash for free, without attribution.

 

Pikwizard

Along with a huge library of stock photos, Pikwizard is really a wizard in the realm of stock photos.

The added option of basic editing and adding text overlays makes Pikwizard stand apart among many other free stock photo sites. Along with a basic free version, Oikwizard also has a fully loaded paid version.

It doesn’t have any video stocks and is solely targeted on stills. If you like to add texts and overlay filters on your stock photos, Pikwizard has just the magic you are looking for.

There are very few other sites like PikiWizard that give you multiple options to edit your pictures, so give it a shot.

 

RawPixel

RawPixel claims to have the most diverse collection of stock photos, and it is somewhat true.

So what makes it stand out?

It provides not only access to free HD photos but also vectors and “PSD Mockups.” PSD Mockups can come in so handy for your marketing and branding purposes. Moreover, the quality of the photos, vectors, and mockups is superior to other such sites.

RawPixel also has paid elements, but the best part is that whatever you pay to them (for acquiring a premium file), it all goes to the fund for the “Hope for Children” initiative.

This makes RawPixel an exceptional platform, apart from the fact that you can find the best quality stock photos on Raw Pixel.

 

Important Note on Licensing

Before you start using free stock photos, you must read their licensing clauses in order to use them safely.

The most common license used by free stock photo sites is the “Creative Commons Zero” represented mostly in the form of its abbreviation “CC0”. It is the license with the least restrictions and rules for using these stock photos. But is that all?

You should know about the risks attached to using these photos.  Last year, there was a case where a photographer had to face legal consequences for using a photo from Unsplash.

Most sites do not really have the muscle and resources to verify the credibility of the source (from which the photo came from). In simpler words, they can not really check that every image is coming from its real owner; the one who holds the copyrights.

So, you should be careful to avoid any legal issues. Also, it is a good practice to have a clear understanding of the licensing details. If you are interested, you can take a look at this guide for safely using free stock photos.

 

 

About the author Amos Struck: WordPress and Photo Geek. Amos is a publisher and entrepreneur in the stock imagery field. He is focused on providing knowledge and solutions for buyers, contributors, and agencies, aiming at contributing to the growth and development of the industry. He is the founder and editor of Stock Photo Secrets, one of the largest networks of online magazines in the industry. He created several software solutions in stock photography including WordPress plugins.

 

 

 

 

Now is the New Later: Building Passive Income and Freedom with Online Courses by @IrinaPic

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by Irina Pichura

As an entrepreneur, you start with massive amounts of passion and drive at the beginning, it’s all SO exciting! In fact, it’s likely you have or plan to, watch every single program online and podcast on how to build your business.

You know what you want! A flexible lifestyle, a business that has an impact on other humans, all with your unique talent. But then reality kicks in… you begin to work, hard, and you may no longer have vacations worry-free as you are still taking projects and dealing with client temper tantrums, even on a plane, or a beach no less. (Where’s the fun in that?)

This is where passive income comes into play.

You may be thinking that you can’t possibly build a course online to get passive income while you are enjoying a margarita during your beach vacation! You have too much work to do.

Not to mention the layers of doubt in your head like:

  • I could never make time to build my course. With all these projects! No way.
  • Will my clients buy that course? I am an imposter! I don’t actually know that much…
  • Or, courses are already over. It’s too late for me.

Don’t let that critical inner voice bring you down, the time to build a course online is now! Now is the new later.

And, I’m going to teach you each step you need to create YOUR amazing course.

 

 

Create your foundation – Organize, research and implement

 

Lack of ideas and resources is not the problem to finish creating an online course for your business, but...lack of strategy and drive is.

Here is what you need to stay focused, and create excellent content:

  1. Course Prep: Set a time when you can finish your online course, 60 days is a good amount of time for preparation. Create an evidence-based plan and stick to it.
  2. Audience: Get clarity on who your perfect course student is, or who your ideal customer is and go specifically into what problems you are solving for her/him with your course and how.
  3. Course Type: Not all courses are the same, and not all of them are right for your audience. It is key to use the information you have about your niche, audience, expertise and business model to figure out what problem you can solve – success comes by designing the right course for those who desperately need it.

 

 

Validate!

 

The best entrepreneurs trip on the same step in the road if they don’t have market validation of the course offering they are putting together.

Be sure to pre-test and post-test your audience:

  • Validate: There are different ways to validate your idea from beta testing in small groups, seeing what is out there in the market to solve the same problem, etc..
  • Survey your audience: Knowing who your audience will land you in the right spot, but testing them will keep you from impostor syndrome, after you’ve had a beta group test your product or idea – survey them! What did they enjoy, learn and appreciate? This is also a fabulous time to collect testimonials.

 

 

Design and Refine

 

What makes your course special in a crowded market with infinite options? 

You will need more than a catchy course name, you need to deliver in solving your client’s problem effectively.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • A Unique Selling Proposition: You have a superpower and your clients want some of that! Showcase what you can do for them and what makes you a unique solution to their problems.
  • The Best Name Ever: Your course name shouts the value you have in it. The name needs some thought behind it so you can show the amazing value you provide through a few powerful words that will haunt them until they enroll.
  • The Offer: Pricing is key but being able to deliver the promises you made to your client is even more important. Build out a plan so you can charge the right price for the promises you will deliver on.

 

 

Creating Your Masterpiece

 

You have mapped out the course, your masterpiece, this is it! This is the moment to shout it out loud!

  • Crushing the outline: This is not a thesis, This is your way of showing an amazing idea into a streamlined plan.
  • Create your content: You want to provide the best learning experience for your students. Learn how to shoot videos, what graphics you will need and balance the right amount of info, no one wants to be overwhelmed.
  • Speechless branding: The information on your course is important but you need the shiny object to be in a silver lining package for your client to purchase it.
  • Recording: Let’s be honest, this is going to be the hardest part, but with some research and a nice mic or video equipment – you can do it!

 

 

Delivering like a Boss

 

Get familiar with the platforms that are right for you and will allow you to deliver your beautiful content like a boss to your eager to learn students.

  1. Organize your deliverables: Once you have your videos all done, assemble the perfect slide decks and your award-winning worksheets
  2. Get the tech right: Choose wisely on the platforms that serve you best. Here is a link with all of your course platform options.

 

 

Optimize, Optimize. Did I say optimize?

 

The art of creating your course is a never-ending job but you can still sell your course while you refine what is out there, as Marie Forleo says, “Done is better than Perfect.”

Your goal is to provide your course students with the best experience, but they can’t have an experience if your course isn’t uploaded. Of course, you want your course to be the perfect solution to their problems, but don’t be afraid to refine and upgrade your content in real time.

Need more help? Feeling overwhelmed? Click here to see my course… on courses, yes, it’s a thing – and it may just be the thing you need to FINALLY put your work out there with confidence.

 

 

About Irina Pichura: I spent 10 years in corporate recruiting working with Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs, Investopedia, The Daily Beast, and some of NYC’s hottest startups. Grew my coaching business from zero figures to 6 of ’em (figures that is) in just ONE YEAR. Packaged my genius into a course that’s bringing me buckets of passive income & helping hundreds of people (all while I catch up on my beauty sleep).

 

 

 

6 Clever Ways Small Businesses Can Benefit From Blockchain and Digital Currencies by @johnstonaussie

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by Mike Johnston

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies and are great unknowns for most of the small business owners. They are more often than not, utterly unaware of their ability to create an entirely different business environment.

Thanks to its decentralized nature, blockchain’s transformational power lies in the fact that it enables verified and secure transactions between two parties, without any need for third-party verifications, reducing the costs and risks attached to the transaction. Especially now, when Covid-19 did some serious harm to economies and companies, modern technologies, such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies, can be used for a quicker recovery.

Read on to learn about the ways blockchain and digital currencies can benefit your small business.

 

Reduced costs

As they carry many different fees, traditional payment methods can put a financial strain on your business due to the amount of money you have to waste on banks. Every time someone purchases your services or product using their card, your business is losing money. Over time, this loss can accumulate and reach some truly shocking numbers.

On the other side, digital currencies allow you to eliminate or reduce or most of the fees related to traditional card payments. By using cryptocurrency, your business can averagely save between two and five percent on every transaction. Besides, you will be able to eliminate chargebacks, which will significantly improve your overall cash flow.

 

No need for middlemen

The use of blockchain technology will make transaction intermediaries obsolete. Today’s small businesses rely on third-parties, known as intermediaries, to manage the transactions, mostly serving as a source of verification, making both parties feel secure about the transaction. It’s the way financial transactions function, and the banks make a pretty good profit out of charging fees for their part in the process of connecting businesses and their trading counterparts. Blockchain can make this verification through its own network, without any external verification.

Small businesses involved could avoid all the costs related to intermediaries -bankers, brokers, or lawyers, while still being sure that their transaction is safe. They will also have more control of the process, and the transaction will still be safe, as the consensus of blockchain users will internally verify it.

 

Trust and transparency

Blockchain will be highly appreciated by businesses who will now be able to provide some clarity to their customers, and consumers who are longing for transparency. This is especially the case when it comes to Millenials, the generation with the most purchasing power. Concerned with sustainability, Millenials make their purchasing decisions considering the planet, the society, and finally themselves. They are also ready to pay for this transparency, both with their loyalty and their money.

Millennials, but many other consumers too, want to know whether their food is grown organically or whether their clothes were produced in a textile factory are paid fairly. Small businesses will have no trouble verifying how and where their item was produced or in case of the food, how and where it was grown. Or any other information, whatsoever.

 

There is a high demand

Even though some people are still afraid to use cryptocurrencies, the number of enthusiasts and professionals who are getting into crypto mining is on a constant rise. Because of all the benefits cryptocurrencies bring, many people, especially the younger ones, are starting to live entirely on digital currency, using it to purchase their goods and services.

Furthermore, a recent survey shows that more than 39% of the respondents want Bitcoin as a payment method for their general purchases. By adding a cryptocurrency-based payment system to their list of payment methods, small businesses can easily command additional market space and grow their customer base.

 

Go global

Due to its decentralized nature, small businesses can now follow the most recent cryptocurrency trends and open their doors to international buyers and tap into new consumer’ groups for whom their services or products were once inaccessible. Cryptocurrency has the potential to go global, as it knows no boundaries when it comes to business’s digital assets – it eliminates high costs associated with exchange rates and waiting times needed for processing international transactions.

Many businesses recognize the importance of adapting to the trend to stay ahead of the curve, especially in industries such as IT software and services, hospitality and travel, finance and fintech, and international export and sales.

 

Keep data secure

Our every transaction, and in some cases, our every movement, is an opportunity for businesses and authorities to collect data, and analyze it. For example, during the Coronavirus outbreak, Israeli authorities are using mobile phones location to identify persons who were in close contact with confirmed carriers. In China, authorities are using another technology advancement – facial recognition, for the same purposes.

Even if such data usage can sometimes seem justified, it severely affects privacy and opens up many opportunities for misuse. With blockchain technology, your and your customer’s data will be safe, as it will grant the power over data you want to share, who you want to share it with, and for how long.

 

Whatever the motivation behind your small business is, as an entrepreneur you’re no stranger to challenges. New technologies, such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies, are challenges waiting around the corner, so you better be well prepared to welcome them at the right moment.

 

 

Mike Johnston is an avid blogging enthusiast and experienced content writer with a focus in business, technology, entrepreneurship, and real estate.

 

 

 

 

How to Prepare for a PR Expert for Maximum Business Exposure by @eileenystheim

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by Eileen Ystheim

Business owners like yourself know just what you need to do to market your business online successfully, and you’re already on top of the latest market trends:

When it comes to blogging, you’ve got it covered.

When it comes to doing social media, you’re busy turning new followers into raving fans.

When it comes to podcasting, you’ve become a voice your market listens to.

When it comes to marketing, business professionals like yourself know what it takes to make income and impact – for a while.

But then the magic suddenly stops. Traffic to your website (both paid and organic) seems to have reached its peak. Your mailing list is no longer growing, and your income has plateaued.

When this happens, it’s time to get some outside help to ignite your traffic and help you get the attention that you need. Yes, it may be time to hire a PR expert and get some attention from radio shows, newspapers, magazines, and TV – both locally and nationally.

 

 

Have swipe files on hand

If CNN wanted to get your take on what’s going on concerning a current event, would you be able to respond quickly with a written bio and photo?

If you can’t respond in 5 minutes or less, then you need to reboot your swipe files before you start any PR work. A successful PR campaign is one that has ready-made media files on hand that you can use in case a producer or journalist needs your bio or headshot quickly.

Until you have these types of files at hand, hiring PR professionals at this point would be a waste of their time.

 

Narrow your focus

Being a jack of all trades sounds nice, but experts specialize in one area. Success is achieved in business when you dig “an inch wide and a mile deep.” That means success in business is best achieved when you focus on one area of your industry. A specialized focus allows you to provide better services to your chosen market.

Therefore, you need to target a particular client and only go outside your selected audience on rare occasions. When you adopt the three suggestions listed above, then you’ll be ready to do media outreach successfully.

 

No outlet is unworthy

Get your feet wet and start with local media outlets first. You can get exposure through local newspapers, magazines, and news channels that need to interview or quote an expert in your field.

Take advantage of local and regional outlets because they will most likely not be able to get interviews with national figures. For example, let’s say you’re a wellness coach with a lot of expertise worth sharing.

A local morning show in your hometown won’t be able to get wellness coach, David Kirsch, but you’re available. An advantage of starting small allows you to get your brand out there and establish your credibility as an expert in your niche.

Also, smaller media outlets give you practice that will help you be prepared for the bigger outlets.

 

Ways to show off your expertise

You can be one of the best wellness consultants or freelance writers around, but how will others know this about you? Do you share tips on healthier eating or writing tips on your social media pages? Do you blog about special diets or different types of content?

I’m sure you do, but you’re going to need to do more than this to get recognized as an expert in your niche. You have to put yourself out there further if you want to attract the attention of larger media outlets.

In other words, you’re going to have to look like an expert. No, you don’t have to go around buying expensive headshots, but you do need to establish your brand. Professional brand traits will let the media know that you’re the one they’ve been looking for.

 

Update your brand

It’s going to take more than just creating a logo and choosing your brand color to establish your brand. Remember, your brand represents your voice. It speaks to the people who will become your customers, and it tells your target audiences what makes you different compared to your competitors.

Your branding sets the tone for how people remember you, and it lets your target audiences know that you’re the one that can meet their needs successfully. Remember to cover the following areas when updating your brand:

• Facebook profile, business page, and groups
• LinkedIn profile
• Pinterest boards
• Podcast artwork and messaging
• Training/coaching programs
• Website and blog
• YouTube channel

 

Invest in Your Content

Expert advice that’s poorly written and filled with grammatical errors will scream unprofessional in a heartbeat! If you want your content to look professional and you need help, you must hire a content writer or editor.

They will lend your content a professional feel, and others— including media outlets—will see you as the expert you are. When your goal is to gain more brand recognition, you must take an objective look at how your business is operating.

Is your message in sync with your brand? Are you looking like a professional on your website, blogs, and social media profiles? When you address these issues, the media will start looking for you instead of you trying to get their attention.

 

 

I’m Eileen Ystheim, a vision-aligned SEO copywriter. I have over 13 years of writing experience as a journalist and press officer for a non-profit.

Now I run my own copywriting business where I offer compelling web articles, guest posting + SEO content for purpose-driven brands on a mission.

My secret sauce is compelling brand storytelling that makes your customers the heroes of your story, toppled with an extra spice of organic SEO traffic.

 

 

 

How To Perform A Competitor Analysis (And Why It’s Important) by @BlairKaplanPR

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by Blair Kaplan Venables

There’s nothing like a little healthy competition to light a preverbal fire under you. With the increase of businesses moving online during this COVID era, you need to make sure that your business stands out online. If you’re one of the 1% of entrepreneurs who managed to create a business with no direct competitors, congratulations! If you’re like 99% of the rest of us, it’s time to do some homework. Stat. It’s important to know who your competition is, what they are selling, how they are selling it, where they are marketing and what they are doing right. If you know this information, you are able to work on a strategy to potentially capture their clients and grow your business.

A good place to start your investigation is by performing a social media competitor analysis. By scoping out your competition, you will be able to see where their weaknesses may lie, which is information that you can use to you advantage. For example, if you see that your competition isn’t on a specific social media network and you know that your target demographic is spending time on that social media network, you may want to build up a presence there.

 

Identify Your Competitions

What other companies are competing for the business that you seek to obtain? You should be able to identify at least five companies that are your competition. You can do this by Googling key words, asking friends and doing your own research.

The best place to start finding out information about their social media presence is via their website, where these links should be posted. It’s also helpful to go into each social media platform and search their name because sometimes websites aren’t up to date with social links.

 

Document Your Findings

Creating a competition chart is the best way to record your findings. Open up your favorite spreadsheet program (I’m an Excel or Google Sheets gal, myself), open a new document and make rows listing your competitor’s names. Then create columns for the following four key pieces of information about your competitor’s online presence:

  1. Where are they on social media? Don’t forget about LinkedIn, TikTok and other surprising places they may be.
  2. What type of content are they creating? Is it instructional or do they share personal stories?
  3. How many followers they have on each social media network?
  4. Any notes you may want to reference later.

Determine Key Opportunities

We aren’t just cruising social media to be a lookie-loo. We now need to analyze the stats that we have found. Once your chart is filled in, you will be able to see what your competition’s social media strengths are (which may be places you don’t want to compete with them) and where their weaknesses lay (which may create opportunities for you to lead the pack).

Keep in mind you’re not trying to replicate someone else’s strategy. Your social media approach should be unique. But you are looking for opportunities. You may also find content ideas that your top competition isn’t executing yet, which is fantastic news. Learn what they are doing and you can figure out how to do it better or differently. There are always opportunities on social media to create great content and grow your brand’s presence.

 

 

Blair Kaplan Venables is an expert in social media marketing and the president of Blair Kaplan Communications, a British Columbia-based PR agency. As a pioneer in the industry, she brings more than a decade of experience to her clients, which include global wellness, entertainment and lifestyle brands. Blair has helped her customers grow their followers into the tens of thousands in just one month, win integrative marketing awards and more. She has spoken on national stages and her expertise has been featured in media outlets including CBC Radio and Thrive Global. Blair is also the author of Pulsing Through My Veins: Raw and Real Stories from an Entrepreneur. When she’s not working on the board for her local chamber of commerce, you can find Blair growing the “I Am Resilient Project,” an online community where users share their stories of overcoming life’s most difficult moments.

Tips for Small Businesses to Encourage a Healthy Workplace

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The unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic has created many uncertainties and shifts in our everyday lives. Some of us continue to have our entire team work from home while others have some or all of our teams working on site. Regardless of where our teams physically are located, we have a responsibility as business owners and employers to ensure we protect employee health as best as we can while also keeping our businesses afloat.

Being proactive and creating a clear plan and sick policy is a necessity to ensure everyone is aware of how they’ll be supported in the event they do fall ill. Ensure that this policy is available to everyone and adheres to any local and federal laws. This way, you and your employees know what steps to take to keep everyone safe and to keep operations running while anyone is out.

Some things to clarify in your policy include:

  • When employees should notify their manager
  • Whether or not a note is required
  • Whether remote work and/or a reduced schedule is an option
  • How sick leave is treated during this time
  • How sick leave applies to new employees

You should also keep in mind different laws, rights and entities that relate to employee privacy and safety when forming your policy. Here are a few to get familiar with:

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Worker’s Compensation
  • Other local laws specific to your area

In addition to a sick plan and policy, it’s also important to implement programs and other things that can help keep your employees safe and healthy.

If you have non-remote employees, it’s important to keep the workplace sanitary and to have cleaning supplies available to maintain cleanliness. It’s also important to maintain social distancing between employees in your office space. This could mean physically spacing desks farther apart and closing off lounge areas.

If you have remote employees, you should check in with them often to see how they’re handling themselves, especially if they were sent to work home due to a shelter-in-place (or similar) order. Encouraging them to go outside, take breaks and spend time connecting with coworkers are a couple ways to promote work-life balance while they may be stuck indoors longer than usual.

Overall, it’s important to remember that we’re in uncharted waters and everyone is dealing with the current situation in their own way. Approaching this time with compassion can help you navigate this period with your team. JW Surety Bonds has a list of tips to support employee health below. Take a look at the infographic below to see how you can encourage a healthy workplace for all employees.

things to spend money on when starting a business infographic
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

 

 

Favorite leadership tips from 7 influential women

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From Resume.io

Women face a variety of extra challenges on the road to success, but it’s heartening to know that success can be achieved.

Some indomitable women have proven that it is not only possible to become the top of their fields, but also that the priorities that motivate action can be re-defined, and goals can be transformed to match. There’s a lot to be learned from reading about their experiences, and they have plenty of advice to embolden the next wave of successful women.

So, what leadership wisdom do readers find most inspiring? To find out, the resume experts at resume.io used the ‘most highlighted’ feature in Amazon’s Kindle to find the most popular quotes in the best rated leadership books on Goodreads.

We have gathered 7 extracts from books by powerful women to share their wisdom with you. 

You can find the rest of the list here.

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain

Cain’s book explains how the unique skills and potential of introverts is often overlooked by a society that has grown to believe in an ‘Extrovert Ideal.’ She uses strong anecdotal evidence and examples of influential speakers who are actually introverts.

2. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg

As Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and one of Time magazine’s most influential people, Sandberg has a unique insight into the external, and internal, obstacles faced by working women.

3. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, by Brené Brown 

This best-selling book focuses on vulnerability and dealing with difficult emotions, suggesting a transformative practice that can help us become more balanced in leadership, relationships, and parenting.

4. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck 

Carol S. Dweck PhD is a hugely influential psychologist with a simple, but powerful, argument. Whatever your field or goals, adopting a growth mindset will help you to approach it in a healthy and effective way.

5. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person, by Shonda Rhimes

In this revealing and funny memoir, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal explains how being open to new opportunities, having a can-do attitude, and believing in oneself, has opened doors to her undeniable success.

6. #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

Amoruso’s journey from high-school dropout to being CEO of a successful online fashion retailer shows that the path to success isn’t always straight. This is a rallying cry for anyone who wants to chart their own course.

7. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown

The New York Times #1 best-seller uses a research-based approach to motivate readers to believe in their capabilities. What do leaders, culture shifters, and change makers have in common? They have the courage to take the lead.

These strong and influential authors each offer strong and valid perspectives on realising one’s potential and building the confidence to take control. 

Which of these quotes motivates you the most?

 

Rolf Bax, Content Specialist
Since 2018 Rolf manages Resume.io websites & content together with a dedicated team of Copywriters, Product Specialists, Designers and Developers. Rolf worked for several cross-border e-commerce businesses in the last decade helping them with managing their online appearances.

 

 

 

Why CRO is a Must for Your Small Business by Kurt Phillip of @ConverticaOu

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by Kurt Phillip

Your website exists to push your brand, whether that’s through subscriptions to your course, customer email acquisition, or direct purchases of a product. To make the most of it, you need a strategy that leads new website visitors from your landing page to checkout, so that few people click away.

This is where CRO comes in. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the process of fine-tuning your website to create the highest number of conversions possible. What this conversion looks like is entirely up to you, and depends on what your end goals are. Regardless, CRO is a lucrative process; services like Convertica help businesses increase sales in ways they didn’t think were possible through CRO.

Below, we’ve compiled four reasons why CRO is a must for small business owners in the digital arena.

 

1) Your Site Takes on a Greater Purpose

When you implement CRO conversion tactics, your website is no longer just an indicator of your brand’s existence. Instead, it’s a fully optimized sales website where every single visitor is encouraged to subscribe or make a purchase. You will achieve increased conversion rates through a variety of tactics which all differ based on what your goals are.

 

2) It’s the Most Efficient Way to Use Your Budget

If you’re a small business, that means you probably have tried digital marketing on your own in the past with lackluster results. However, creating a Facebook page for your company and sharing it with friends doesn’t compare to how intricate CRO tactics are. CRO leads to increased conversions, which means more sales. In turn, you’ll have a more flexible budget that you can use to expand your brand or put it back into your company.

 

3) Larger Customer Base

More conversions means more visitors to your site. You’ll develop a larger network of supporters, who will then share your business with others.

Word of mouth marketing is an incredibly powerful way for a business to improve its client base. More purchases = more people talking about your brand, which means more site visitors. These visitors are then converted via your expert CRO techniques, and the cycle just continues. It’s a win-win.

 

4) Increases Specific Customer Targeting

The primary goal of CRO is to hone in on your target audience and then convert them using techniques you’re confident they’ll respond to. You create these tactics via analytics, which show helpful information about your audience, such as:

  • Age range
  • Location
  • Gender
  • Bounce rate (how long they spend on any one page on your site)

Customers like to purchase or subscribe to brands that they have a connection with. CRO prioritizes connection with your audience. You’ll have a website designed to specifically target people who are most likely to buy your products.

 

CRO is the Future

As the world of e-Commerce expands, so does the demand for new ways to capture your audience. More brands are waking up to the benefits of CRO, which means competition is only getting more fierce. Step up your digital brand today, and watch the benefits unfold.

 

 

Kurt Philip is the founder and CEO of Convertica, a done-for-you conversion rate optimization agency. You can get the Convertica team to audit your site for FREE. Visit convertica.org for details.

 

 

 

 

 

11 Tips On How to Write the Best Converting Email by Helen Holovach of @snov_io

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by Helen Holovach

Email still remains the best option to reach out to people and convert them. Yet, not every email is converting. To compose emails like a pro, you don’t need to pay dozens of dollars or take courses. You only need to keep in mind 11 simple but working rules.

 

Tip 1. Use a Powerful Subject Line

The conversion rate depends on every detail and begins before the email is opened. To get the email opened, compose a short subject line (6-10 words or up to 32 characters), use power and emotional triggers, and personalize it. If appropriate, use emojis.

 

Tip 2. Check Your Sender’s Name

People have to know who is reaching out to them. Do not be an anonym or just Helen; be Helen from Snov.io. Show your professionalism and reliability.

 

Tip 3. Personalize Every Email

Dale Carnegie said, “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.”

Stick to this golden rule to write the best converting emails. In marketing, personalization stands not only for the person’s name but also for other professional details: company, position, desires, needs, etc. Personalize every email you send to the fullest to get the best results.

 

Tip 4. Craft an Appealing Email Copy

It all depends on the niche you work in. Within the B2B niche, plain-text emails work best. They are simple, reserved, and look professional. Though if you still love bright HTML-emails or you work in the B2C niche, do not be too crazy about HTML formatting. Avoid bursts of colors, use many white spaces, use a single-column template, make the email minimalistic but informative.

 

Tip 5. Do Not Be a Spammer

This tip is composite. Keep in mind these points to not land in the spam folder:

  • Get the people’s consent to receive emails from you
  • One link, two fonts, three colors
  • Shortened links are a taboo
  • Text-to-picture ratio is 80-to-20
  • Test your emails before sending with a er tool
  • Avoid link tracking where possible

 

Tip 6. Be Short

Do you have time to read every email you receive? No, you just scan them through, delete, reply or mark spam within a few seconds. So do your email recipients, and if the email is too long, people delete it without actually reading. This is why, compose short emails (up to 200 words) and get to the point right away.

 

Tip 7. Design an Outstanding CTA

The call-to-action button or link is what will help you improve the email conversion rate. Make it bright and outstanding. If the email background is green, use the red color for the CTA.

 

Note: one CTA is enough for the whole email. Otherwise, your recipients will get confused about where to click and what to do.

 

Tip 8. Avoid Email Attachments

Email attachments have a negative impact on email deliverability. The heavier the message, the fewer chances it is delivered. The lower the delivery rate, the lower the conversion rate. Genius lies in simplicity.

 

Tip 9. Learn the Spam Words List by Heart

Spam trigger words are your enemies. Get sure you are not using words like money, now, off, free, discount or anything similar that activates spam filters and people’s anger. All your efforts of writing a converting email may go down the drain and your email will fly directly to the spam folder.

 

Tip 10. Give People the Right to Be Forgotten

Admit it: not everyone is crazy about your offer. People may just not be interested in your product.

 

I know, an unsubscribe link won’t directly improve the conversion rate, but at least it will reduce the spam complaint rate. That’s rather optimistic, isn’t it? 🙂

 

Tip 11. Send Emails on Time

To not turn into a complete spammer or get lost in the inboxes of your recipients, learn when they are most favorable to new emails. Also, find the time zones they live in. With this info, it will be super-easy to schedule personalized drip campaigns.

 

Extra tip

Email is a masterpiece and demands attention. If you concentrate on details and control, you will become a first-class copywriter. The most important thing to remember: double-check your emails to be sure they are professional and will convert every lead!

 

 

 

Helen Holovach is a dedicated copywriter for Snov.io blog. She’s passionate about email marketing, deep research, statistics, mobile games, and singing songs to a guitar.

 

 

 

 

Strategies to Stay Motivated During COVID-19 by @JenniferKemComm

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by Jennifer Kem

COVID-19 is impacting the individual and collective experiences of communities around the globe. With many Shelter-in-Place or Stay-at-Home orders being practiced, some are celebrating the permission to be a little more introverted, while others long for the illimitable social structure built into an office ecosystem. Some express gratitude for the constancy of their income, while others fear and mourn the great financial losses imminent if not already present. One pattern, however, that I am finding so many have in common during this global pandemic regardless of if they’re in a position of pain or privilege is a lack of motivation.

Motivation acts as the initiator of minute daily tasks such as getting out of bed every morning and brushing your teeth, to hustling your team of children out the door, to innovating new protocols in your business’ operations to ensure client attention and retention. It can often be threatened in times of stress. So, as the rhythms and routines that keep us so connected to the consistency, community, and creative efforts that literally and figuratively keep us moving are strained during the pandemic, so many of us are feeling lost, lethargic, and lazy.

As a serial entrepreneur and brand futurist, I strongly believe that we must not only creatively work to maintain stability during the pandemic, but also begin to ponder what post-pandemic growth will be available to us at the end of this challenging time. Therefore, if we want to not just survive this, but thrive through it and after, it is imperative that we stay motivated. Below are three strategies that I’m certain will help to light a fire under you to keep you stretching instead of stagnant in this time of limitation: one, find an accountability partner; two, research brand models; and three, deepen your emotional intelligence.

 

FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

An accountability partner can be anyone from a good friend who needs something else to do, a coach, a superior, or a mentor who you can communicate your goals and check-in with weekly to keep you on track. This person will serve as an anchor. Seek people who are managing competently, but honestly during this time. Someone who acknowledges the severity of the situation, as well as stays solution-focused on strategies to move through it. If you don’t have an overly available friend or boss who are modeling this form of honest and qualified leadership, then look to sources like LinkedIn’s Career Advice program, which connects you to leaders in your industry willing to volunteer their time to offer experiential knowledge to help you to succeed. Score is another great organization that connects professionals to mentors to keep them motivated.

RESEARCH BRAND MODELS

People aren’t the only inspiring resources that we can connect to in times of energetic drought. Brands can also serve as bustling and beautiful archetypes that can encourage renewed attention and action. Make a list of brands that you admire because they are modeling resilience, courage, and connection during the pandemic. Ask yourself: What do you like about what they’re doing? How can you borrow those skills to show up as a more competent, curious, and impactful person in this time of crisis?

DEEPEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

All instances of suffering can either be used to bring out the worst or the best in us. The choice is each of ours to make. There are a lot of people creating free content right now: offering self-care services like donation-based yoga programs, online tutorials that teach viewers anything from crocheting summer socks to mindfulness exercises. There is also a plethora of articles being published with updates about COVID-19 and how to cope from individual, business, and communal perspectives. The risk here is information and content creation overload, but the opportunity is far greater. Find the tools that speak to you and create a schedule that integrates physical, mental, emotional, and social expressions to keep all of your important faculties engaged. At the end of the day, you are your best life strategist. How can you live your fullest life during COVID-19 and set yourself up to succeed when this season is over?

 

Regardless of how COVID-19 is impacting you, your family, your business, or your community during this time, it’s imperative that you keep your energy levels high, your focus fixated on hope, and your goals aligned with the success that you want to create in the future. Finding an accountability partner, researching brand models, and deepening your emotional intelligence serve as three ways to keep your internal fire lit, your heart centered, and your mind open while so many other things are shut down. Shelter-in-place doesn’t mean to stop seeking and it certainly doesn’t mean to stop serving, it simply means that we must do both differently. I invite you to be endlessly creative during this crisis for your benefit and the continued and conscious improvement of the human collective.

 

 

Jennifer “Jen” Kem is a San Francisco Bay Area-based branding and marketing expert who gets entrepreneurs seen, heard, and paid – for being themselves. She’s the creator of the Master Brand Method: a framework to develop powerful brand archetypes that win customers’ hearts. She has provided digital strategy coaching for emerging entrepreneurs, celebrity brands like Oprah Winfrey Network, and major corporations including Verizon. Recently, she launched her legacy project, Femmefluence, a platform to increase women’s affluence and influence. To date, her proudest creations are her three children.