Take a second and think about the blogs and websites that you visit the most often. Are they sites that have large blocks of uninterrupted text? Doubtful. Most of us prefer to visit sites and blogs that have a high level of visual interest. This is the reason why Pinterest is so successful and why businesses are incorporating it into their marketing strategies.

Personally, I love to cook. But would I be likely to visit a cooking blog that doesn’t have photos illustrating the steps of the recipe, or at the very least, a beautiful photo of the final product? No, because it’s hard to imagine how this great-sounding recipe should turn out if there is not a photo of the finished product.

The same goes for blogs and websites in all industries. Ryan Biddulph mentioned in a recent post that his site began to generate more traffic when he added images to each post. We are still a very visual society. If anything, the advent of the Internet and the subsequent movement of advertising and marketing to online platforms has driven us to be even more visual. Keeping your blog or website visually interesting will keep you readers/visitors coming back again and again.

Luckily, there are quite a few ways to add visual interest to your site. Here are a few easy suggestions:

Photos

– Using photos on your site can seem like an obvious suggestion, but you would be surprised how many people do not share photos. Usually the posts that get the most hits are the ones that contain several photos. Instead of a wordy blog post, sometimes just a quick photo share is the way to go. People love to look a photos, they feel like they are getting a glimpse into someone else’s world.

Graphics

– Have you ever realized that while you probably don’t notice every graphic on a website that you always notice if there is a lack of graphics? To me, a site without any graphics, fun fonts, or color looks like someone forgot to finish it. The last thing you want for your business or even personal blog, is to look like you didn’t put in the time or effort to finish the site. There are tons of websites where you can attain free graphics to use on your site. If you can’t find what you want for free, sites like Shutterstock offer relatively inexpensive graphics for purchase.

Infographics

– The use of the infographic on blogs and business sites is still relatively new. But infographics have caught on and the use of them is now spreading like crazy. They are a great way to cram a ton of information into one visually interesting space. Infographics use different fonts, images, colors, and sizes in order to relay information that otherwise could be thought of as dry or boring (read: statistics). You can pay a graphic designer to design an infographic for you, or if you are savvy with editing software like Photoshop, you can even make them yourself.

(Photo Source)
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

The post Why and How Your Site Needs to Be Visually Interesting appeared first on GeeklessTech.

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We talk a lot on this blog and on the web in general about all of the advancements we have made when it comes to staying “plugged in” to the world around us. We’ve also all have read the importance of businesses having an online presence – a website, social media accounts, a blog, etc. The list is endless.  Do you ever unplug?

Most of us are constantly connected, checking phones, tablets, laptops, computers, or iPods many times per day. I know I am guilty, if I so much as even stir overnight, I am checking my phone for texts, Facebook updates, or after-business-hours emails sent from editors or colleagues.

But are we all too connected? It’s certainly possible. There are many reports of how much time we spend connected to the Internet. While researching for this blog post, I came across statistics that say that the average person spends as much as 3 hours or more per day on social networks. 3 hours! That is a lot of time. That does not take into account any other Internet usage.

So many professions are now purely Internet-based, even those that would be traditionally more of a face-to-face driven industry. Take the real estate industry, for example. In the past, Realtor’s would search the MLS (multiple listing service) for properties for their clients, then take the clients to see the homes. Since real estate has shifted toward the online world, anyone who is interested in a home can jump online and browse hundreds of properties.

So when do we have the chance to unplug, so to speak? Not often. I can’t remember the last time that I turned my iPhone off, other than when it died from lack of charge after using it to browse the web for hours. A recent article published on Mashable highlights a camp of sorts, where adults and business people go to unwind and unplug. The camp highlights include physical activity, socializing, and arts and crafts; but most of all, it’s technology-free.

Many of the camps participants are CEOs and venture capitalists – people that normally have the most problem unplugging. One of the simplest ways to be a better entrepreneur is to take a day off or dedicate times to unplug. Doing this helps you not have to make a drastic change of being completely plugged for 4 days.

So what are the benefits to unplugging? I would say that the number one reason is just to clear your head. In our technology driven world, we all have so many thoughts swimming around in our heads on a daily basis.

I’m sure many of you tech-heads can relate, but I know that I’m attached at the hip to my iPhone. Unplugging might be able to help us focus better, even on things that do require technology, in the long run.

So I would love to pose the question, what do you do to unplug and unwind? Do you dedicate 1 day a week, or even 1 hour a week to not be constantly connected? Please share!

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Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

The post Technology: Do You Ever Unplug? appeared first on GeeklessTech.

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I came across this awesome guest posting opportunity five minutes ago. Literally, five minutes ago. Five minutes later I wrote this post. Why? Well, I will discuss below, as my first line item. You learn things as a blogger, things which promote your success. If you are foolish you’ll ignore these lessons.

If you are wise you will cash in on these lessons. You must be aggressive to succeed in the blogging niche. Digest, and act swiftly. You will quickly need to learn these things to run a successful blog.

1 – Seize Guest Post Opportunities within Seconds

I remember a few years back. I’d struggled to generate one lead daily. I would write a guest post and 5-10 leads would flow in quickly. Now, since I am human, I forgot my success and stopped writing guest posts. But I smartened up a while ago.

Now I have 7 guest posts out there, either in the queue, or already published, plus this post. Guest posting is the quickest way to reach a massive audience, fast.

2 – Get Ready for Critics

Critics will find you. I have been heavily criticized for multiple elements on my blog and writing style. Why? Because I hit the “Publish” button for the first time 4 years ago and fell in love with blogging.

Do not take criticism personally. You receive opinions, or feedback, and if somebody is nasty, thank God for block buttons or blacklisting.

3 – Check Your Energy

I consistently churned out great content for months. However, critics were my audience. I thought like a failure. Sure, my content was excellent but on a subconscious level I felt no one would show up to visit my blog.

Check your energy throughout the day. Think, feel and act from a high energy, calm and confident place. You must blog with enthusiasm.

4 – Stay on Topic

Readers leave like mad if you change topics. I ran a personal development blog. Then I ran a cash gifting blog. Then I covered like 4 topics. Now I run blogs helping you generate cash online.

By staying on topic, you program your audience to respond to your persistent, consistent message.

5 – People Love Eye Candy

People rarely stuck around my blog until I used images for each post. Then I scrapped the images on each post but posted pictures of myself traveling all over SE Asia, from my top banner through my sidebar.

Images grab reader’s attention, quickly. Use images on each post or paste images all over your blog.

6 – Sell the Dream

Posting pictures is one thing. Selling the dream is quite another. I lived in Bali for five months, Phuket, Thailand for five months, and I hit a host of other tropical paradises over the past 2 years. Stop by my blog. I have pictures of many locations where I visited.

Read my blog. Follow my online cash generating tips. Live the dream like I live.

7 – Write Frequently to Improve Your Skills

As a newbie blogger you want to hide away. You write maybe once every week or two. Well, unless you are a talented writer bump that schedule up to daily writing. There is no need to post daily, but you must write daily to improve your writing skills.

The quality of your posts improves if you improve as an author. Don’t stop blogging. Write posts. Be patient. Find your writing voice. Prosper. Grow your audience.

8 – Write How You Speak

How do you speak? Write like that. Engage readers in a conversation. Be chatty with your posts. Recount your stories. Relate your experiences with your niche, or topic of choice, to make strong connections with your audience.

9 – Become Best Buddies with Influential Bloggers

I wrote for about a year until people discovered me. That is because I wrote for a year without making any friends in the blogosphere. After becoming good friends with influential bloggers, these buddies promoted my content to their audience.

Voila! The traffic started rolling. So that’s where my traffic was, right? Make buddies by promoting people aggressively. Post helpful comments to their blog posts. Build your network. Leverage your presence.

What tips can you add to my list?

Former fired security guard and current world traveler, Ryan Biddulph went from having a net worth of a nickel to generating steady cash flow online while traveling to tropical paradises like Bali, Phuket and Hoi An. How does he help you magnetize yourself to cash? To find out Click Here

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Let’s face it, being an entrepreneur and starting a small business or working for yourself is risky. Unfortunately, many small businesses fail in their first few years, or even months, of operation.

Some industries are certainly more susceptible than others, and of course our recent economic climate has made it that much more difficult for small businesses to be successful. Luckily, the economy seems to be on the upswing, and the advent of more internet-based businesses (with significantly less overhead costs) has made it more possible to run a small business or be an successful entrepreneur.

So what does it take to run a successful small business, and hopefully grow it into a larger business at some point? I stumbled across an article on Mashable where several famous entrepreneurs listed the things that helped them to get where they are today.

Some of the interviewees include Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group; Meg Whitman, CEO of HP; and Craig Newman, creator of Craigslist.

The things that these successful business people listed as necessary aren’t all that surprising. Richard Branson talked about his personal assistant – an actual person, not a device. Meg Whitman talked more about the non-business things she needs, such as her swimsuit, because she likes to swim to relax and unwind. Craig Newman listed several mobile devices, including a Samsung Galaxy Note II that he uses to stay connected to his business every day.

So are there specific “tools of the trade” that every entrepreneur needs in order to be successful? I think so. While there are no hard and fast rules about starting and running a small business, some things are absolutely necessary to get a business off of the ground. Here are a couple that I think are necessary:

A great support structure

Like it or not, it is very difficult to start a business as a lone wolf. I don’t mean that you need employees or consultants right off the bat. I’m thinking more on a personal level. With no one to cheer you on or offer advice or even just listen for a few minutes, it’s going to be significantly more difficult to see success with your business. Tell your friends and family what your plans are and talk to them about your plans.

Up to date technology

You don’t need to shell out tons of money on technology to get started, but you do need to be wise about the tools that you choose to use. Most businesses would be smart to sink some capital into a great, professionally designed website. If your business involves art or design, do some research as to what type of computer is best, typically Apple is best for this, while PCs are better for more technical applications, like coding or programming.

Running and building a successful small business can be tricky. But learning the things that make you tick as a business owner/operator will potentially help your business get off the ground.

(Photo Source)
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

The post What Tools Do You Need to be A Successful Entrepreneur? appeared first on GeeklessTech.

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Instagram is arguably one of the hottest social networks right now, and you should use Instagram for your business. What started out as a small, somewhat underground network has now blown up into a huge online presence with more than 100 million users. I think it’s safe to say that most people with accounts on other major social media networks like Facebook or Twitter are now participating in Instagram as well.

Instagram uses the #hashtag, similar to Twitter. Users can tag their photos, then people who view the photo can click on the hashtag to see other photos that are tagged the same way. While some people make up their own hashtags, there are some that are popular and have become kind of a staple on the network. Some examples of this would include #dogsofinstagram, #latergram (when you post a photo after it was taken) or #tbt (throw back Thursday, where users post photos from their past). Instagram has proven to encourage lots of interaction between users.

In April 2012, Facebook purchase Instagram for approximately $1 billion. The networks are now integrated, and the Instagram interface offers users the opportunity to share photos directly to Facebook, Twitter, and several other networks as well.

So with the popularity of Instagram on the rise, it only makes sense to figure out a way to make it work for your small business. With more than a hundred million active users, you are bound to reach your audience by using this network.

Here are some ways that you can use Instagram to become instafamous:

Feature your products or services – Instagram offers fun filters that you can use to change your photos. You can also edit them right in the app. Take fun, artistic photos of things that you offer as a business. It’s more visually interesting than just a straightforward photo listing of products. There are also other apps, such as PicStitch, that you can use to combine several photos into one.

Let your customers know that you have an account – the great thing about Facebook and Instagram being integrated is that you can share photos on both accounts. By taking the step of putting your Instagram photos on Facebook, your followers will see that you have an Instagram account and check it out.

Have a relevant but fun username – Instagram is a great place to get a little more creative and fun. While your user name should definitely relate to your business, I think it’s fine to have a little fun with your username.

Use hashtags – some Instagram users merely post photos, but don’t use hashtags for each one. If you use relevant hashtags for each post, more people will see the photos that you post. For instance, if you tag your photo #saleoftheday, anyone who clicks on that tag from any photo will be able to see your photo also.

Instagram can be a fun social network to use for personal photos, but it can also be another weapon in your business’ social media arsenal!

(Photo Source)
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

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