There are a huge selection of sources of imagery that can be used in web sites. Licensing, pricing and quality vary greatly, but are not 100% reliable, you may find the perfect image for you needs in one of the free stock image sites or in a rights managed portfolio like Getty Images or you may need to shoot some photographs yourself.

Obviously budget constraints also come into the equation. If you need 10 new images a month you aren't likely to go and buy rights managed images unless those images are going to make you serious money, but you might set yourself up to have the images taken for you, or source them from lower cost royalty free image sites. (more...)

If you're anything like me you find it much easier to look at someone else's marketing and see where it's lacking, or where they need to concentrate their efforts, than to take the same objective view of your own marketing.

While this is only human nature and not a major problem it is something that we, as small business owners need to be disciplined about. Why? Well imagine that your business as a house and you are the builder. There are certain tasks that must be complete before undertaking others. There are other tasks that are more effective if others are completed in advance. It is impossible to build the walls before the foundations are laid and set, and you certainly wouldn't want to plaster the walls before the windows and doors are fitted, though you could... Marketing your business is much the same, in that certain objectives must be achieved before others will have any positive effect.

What happens if you don't? Quite simply, there will be lots of activity and very little productivity. You'll end up bouncing from task to task, probably never completing any to the level that you want. Additionally, you can be absolutely certain that, as a result, you will have missed a number of potentially lucrative opportunities.

Who needs a marketing plan? Everyone needs a marketing plan! Whether you're a multi-national corporation, or a freelancer working from home, it is important (in fact vital) that you have a detailed, structured, and practical plan for marketing your business.

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Let's face it, we have all seen them; sites that were built 5 or 6 years ago and actually do more harm than good to a business's image. But how often should a company redesign or rebuild their web site?

There's no single answer but there are a number of factors that affect the decision. The important ones are:

• What type of business are you?
• Are you changing your overall branding?
• Have you moved into a new market?
• Is there some new functionality that would enhance the site's performance?
• Is the site currently performing to its potential?
• What is the cost of the redesign and development?
• Is the budget available?
• Will you get a return on the investment made in a new website?

(more...)

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