Blog Blog Blog
Thinking of Starting a Blog for Your Business?
A blog for your business is a wonderful marketing tool you can use to help your company grow. There are some rules you will need to know and follow to make your blog successful. Before we dive into that, let’s start with the why and the what?
Why Start a Blog?
- To keep your customers up to date on what is going on inside your company.
- To help retain your existing customers by connecting with them.
- To encourage new customers by impressing on them the fact that your company is different from your competitors.
- A Blog will help you highlight sales or events that your company is involved in.
The What?
If you decide to start a blog, you will need someone to provide content daily. You do not need to produce only original content on your Blog, but you will need to actively produce some of that content. Don’t just repost articles pertaining to your industry or category of business. You also need to recognize the original owner of the content. Developing your own content will create value with your existing customers. You will impress new customers searching in your category of business as well.
Make sure you post on your blog at least once a day, this can be a picture of your store or company, or a picture of a satisfied customer with a short 1 or 2 sentence write up.
If you do start a blog, here is what you need to know:
You may not be able to use the content or image just because you found it. You can’t use a copyrighted image on your Blog. If you do, you are financially responsible, and you can get into trouble.
Anything that someone produces is automatically copyrighted as soon as they produce it. They don’t need to file an official copyright license of the image they produce to own it.
But you can use free images and here’s what to look for:
Public Domain images are free if the copyright is expired or never was copyrighted. Copyrights typically expire after 70 years if not renewed by the owner or the owner’s estate.
Royalty Free images are images you can use without paying royalty fees. The artist or site owner has already been paid a licensing fee on the image.
Creative Commons is a place you can go where to find images to use on your blog. You can use these images, but rules do apply. “CCO” images do not have any reserved rights and you can use them for free and you do not have to give the producer any credit. “CC” allows you to use the image but you must identify and give credit the person that created the image. GIF’s and Meme’s are not free, so don’t assume you can use them.
Here are some places you can find free images online:
New Old Stock You’ll find old photos now categorized as Public Domain.
Foodies Feed Here you can get free shots of food.
Pixabay Here, you’ll find images in the Public Domain and CCO images for free.
Unsplash Here are images free to use that are high-resolution.
Refe You can find free photos for use here.
Life of Pix This is where you can find free high-resolution photography.
Stockvault Here you can find free stock photos.
Pexels This site is where you can find free stock photos (videos as well).
Reshot Here you can find uniquely free photos.
Stock Snap Here, you can find high-resolution photos free from copyright.
Good luck. Reach out to me if you have questions or need help.