by Brigid Kaye, Creative Characters Inc.

Imagine a page of text describing a product offered for sale. Now imagine that same page with images of the product added. Even in your imagination there’s a difference – the image adds interest to the page and  improves its appearance.

That’s the power of images, whether they are  photographs, clip art, illustrations, charts, graphs or symbols. To attract attention and improve reader comprehension, nothing beats an image.

An image has maximum effectiveness when it satisfies these four criteria:

•  The image is worthy of being printed.
•  It is of good quality.
•  It is relevant to the text.
•  It is consistent with the design and layout of the document.

What is a digital image?
A digital image is an image stored as one of two types: vector or raster. Vector images are lines created from mathematical calculations, while raster images (also called bitmap) are created from numerical values – ones and zeros – organized as a fixed number of rows and columns of picture elements or pixels.

Vector images are created by illustration or drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. Raster images are created by digital cameras or scanners and are edited by image editors or paint programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro.

Color in images
The simplest images, called binary images, contain only two colors. Each pixel is stored as a single bit (either 0 or 1). These images are sometimes referred to as black and white. In a gray-scale image, each pixel is a shade of gray that varies from black to white. Sometimes called a monochromatic image, gray-scale requires 8 bits of storage for each pixel where each bit represents 256 possible levels of gray.

For a full-color image, each pixel has 24 bits of storage and can display 16 million colors, shades and hues. This explains why files containing color images are so large.

The two most common color models are RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). RGB color is the color model for computer monitors and the web, while CMYK is the color model for printing. If you are working with your images in the RGB model, you must convert them to CMYK before placing them in your document.

If you are doing business in Center City Philadelphia, you might find interesting information or advice here:

AllBusiness.com
Better Business Bureau
Center City District
Family Business Magazine
Internal Revenue Service
MarketWatch
Small Business Administration

E-mail Susan Perloff, fairyblogmother, to suggest additional resources.

by Ben Frank, Center City Proprietors Association

Loneliness. One of the challenges of being a sole proprietor or working from home – or, in my case, working extra early when no one is around – is that it can be lonely. You sit at the computer and look at the screen, which has the same screen-saver you’ve used for a year, trying to figure which project is most pressing. I often do some of my best work when it’s quiet and I’m alone in my office.

How can you find the encouragement of co-workers, staff and bosses if you have none? I suggest you join CCPA and start networking. In our recent survey of CCPA members, most say they joined in order to network. But some of them attend zero meetings per year.

Sometimes people ask why they should go to an event in which the topic is not for them. Every time I go to an event I meet someone new or I get engaged in a business topic or, sometimes better, a personal one. I come up with new ideas, I learn something I didn’t know and I return to the office inspired.

Then, perhaps some good music, review who I met, acknowledge what I have learned. MAKE the time to meld mind to computer. And enjoy the productivity.

Sometimes loneliness is good.

by Rick Alcantara of Jerseycoachonline.com

Deciding who should control social media within a company is anything but cut-and-dried. A public relations person says “PR,” while a marketer almost certainly indicates “marketing.”

“I think public relations is best suited to drive social media,” says Chris Bechtel, CEO of iPressroom. “Social media best practices call for jargon-free, clear, and authentic communications – which PR pros are best trained to provide.”

Philadelphia-based PR strategist Jim DeLorenzo agrees. “Social media is about interaction with the ‘public.’” While most of the 30 respondents to my recent LinkedIn forum question thought that HR and IT should help manage social media, only one thought IT should control it.

“The better question,” says Rick Simmons, president, Dinkum Interactive, “might be: ‘Who should monitor it?’ The answer has to be, ‘IT and marketing.’”

Not everyone agreed. “IT enables the technology but does not usually know the strategy behind social media objectives,” says Anthony Cirillo, ABC, owner of Fast Forward Consulting.

Similarly, Mary Deming Barber, communications consultant at The Barber Group, says, “Social media is about engagement and conversation, neither of which are strengths of IT or HR. Beyond that, the decision to place ‘control’ in PR, marketing, communications or other seems to be based on an individual company and its structure.”

Several respondents indicated that the answer is situational. “If it is for lead generation then maybe sales,” says Patrick Murphy, director at SiliconCloud.com, “but for raising brand awareness then maybe PR.”

Says Parissa Behnia, VP at the Pasfarda Arts and Cultural Exchange, “In instances of customer complaints, the voice of social media belongs to the PR function. If extending offers or making multiple touch points about offers/brands, then the messaging belongs to Marketing.”

Judith Harlan, owner of Web Words at Work, says, “I put social media under marketing. But I’d also set it up so individuals in each department are on the social-media team, with authority to post department-specific comments.”

Whether anyone can control social media “Seems antithetical to the ethos and diversity of social media,” says Warren Levy, president of Compelling Meetings.

Collaboration across departments is key to any successful media operation. Jocelyn Canfield, owner of Communication Results, says, “Organizations are best served by collaboration, not control. PR, marketing, HR, IR, corp communications all have a vested interest in effective social media activities, while IT and graphic design can be an important allies in seamless execution. If everyone feels ownership, everyone benefits.”

Irina Baranov, Council for Relationships

Matthew and Terces Engelhart, of Cafe Gratitude, spoke at CCPA about their intention was to influence, empower and create leaders who are ready to make a difference in the world, ready to build sacred commerce and sacred communities. They asked people to share openly – particularly the difficult things – the things that they didn’t particularly want to share – to create something new.

Businesses can be the places where people “wake up,” they said. There is no absolute “truth” in business (or in life) – just viewpoints.  All we need to do is try them on for size and see if they fit. Whatever experience we are having, we are creating it.  We can always exercise power in choosing what kind of experience we wish to have (personal and professional).

The Engelharts create communities of amazing, caring human beings. During an interview, they try to talk people out of working for them. But they eventually hire committed, passionate, caring people.

Every employee gets daily “clearings”: 3- to 5-minute conversations about distractions that include being fully heard, the possibility of forgiveness and the likelihood of acknowledgement. The listener/”clearer” does not react and or offer solutions. Listening is the highest form of loving, the Engelharts said.  It is empowering. 

Read more about Cafe Gratitude.

by Audrey Julienne, Raison d’Etre

Why e-mail marketing? It’s affordable: E-mail marketing is an easy way to stretch a tight marketing budget. Unlike direct mail, email marketing requires virtually no production or postage costs.

It’s effective: You can turn your customers into loyal customers. By staying in touch with them you make sure they remember you when they are in need of the products or services you provide.

It’s immediate: E-mail communication can generate an immediate response. A quick last-minute announcement or special can instantly drive more sales.

It’s measurable: Unlike most marketing options, e-mail marketing is measurable. Most e-mail marketing services allow you to easily track who opens your emails and what links they click on. You actually know who is looking at your messages.

It’s easy: E-mail marketing services make it easy for you to create professional-looking campaigns with no design or expertise.

Do’s and don’t's

Gathering e-mail addresses
DO: Invite people to sign-up themselves, check for email fraud.
DON’T: Gather e-mails here and there and add them to your list.

List management
DO: Segregate your lists and by interest and provide information via e-mail based on that information
DON’T: Send a lot of information about everything to everyone

Frequency
DO: Adapt your frequency to your message and your audience
DON’T: Send as many e-mails as possible

E-mail settings
DO: Turn the permission reminder on
DON’T: Write lengthy e-mail subjects with plenty of words like “Win” or “Free”

Look and feel
DO: Design an inviting and branded email
DON’T: Write miles and miles of copy about several subjects without separating them in articles

Content
DO: Keep your content clear to the point, relevant to your audience and interesting
DON’T: Gather a bunch of specials and promotions, sent randomly whenever there is enough info to fill

Analytics
DO: Refer back to the analytics of the sending software
DON’T: Ignore the numbers and assume that people will call if they’re interested in something

What’s next?
DO: Adapt your content to what your audience reads, clicks, respond to
DON’T: Send e-mails without getting feedback from your audience once in a while

by Audrey Julienne, Raison d’Etre

At a CCPA event about blogging, these resources were mentioned:

Buy a domain name through one of these sites:

• www.godaddy.com
• www.mydomain.com
• www.register.com
• www.pacnames.com

Choose a blogging tool, such as:

• www.typepad.com
• www.wordpress.com
• www.blogger.com

Register your blog at:

• www.feedburner.com
• www.technorati.com
• www.google.com
• www.yahoo.com
• www.msnsearch.com
• www.dmoz.com

Share your content:

• www.stumbleupon.com
• www.digg.com
• www.reddit.com
• www.twitter.com
• www.friendfeed.com

Answer questions about social media: www.mashable.com.

If you have questions, feel free to post in the comment section. We’ll be happy to answer them.

by Audrey Julienne, Raison d’Etre

Tip #1: Have a budget. Whether it’s $500 or $500,000, commit to a marketing and advertising budget for the year. Once you determine this envelope it will be easier for you to come up with a strategy that is based on return on investment, not opportunity.

Tip #2: Consider public relations. Very valuable because of the third-party endorsement they provide, public relations are a tool to considerate especially when your marketing and advertising budget is under $20,000.

Tip #3: Set up goals. If you’re a business-to-business service, cultivate a list of companies that you would like to do business with and spend your marketing and advertising dollars in that direction.

Tip #4: Cultivate relationships. Whether it’s clients or customers, they have to like you before they hire you.

Tip #5: Be creative. Find the new and different angle that will make you unique in your market place, or hire someone to help you do that.

by Audrey Julienne, Raison d’Etre

The principle of networking

Networking is only as effective as the network you have, so you need to grow that set of contacts as much as possible. The larger your net, the more fish you can catch.

Your network stats

• Check out your network stats to get an idea how many people are in your network out of the overall LinkedIn population which is currently over 40 Million.
• If your network is less than 1M you have some work to do.

People you already know: Webmail contacts

• LinkedIn’s Webmail Contacts Importer can automatically check 15+ webmail providers for potential connections.
• The webmail-contacts importer works well. Look to the right of each contact name for a small , which signifies the person is already a LinkedIn member. De-select the ones that don’t have this icon — unless you want to send them a message asking them to join.

People you should know: Colleagues and classmates

• On the bottom of the home page is a section devoted to people you may know from companies you used to work or schools you’ve attended. This is a great way to pick up 5 to 10 connections per week.
• You can also search your past companies and schools.

People you should meet: Open networker

• An Open Networker is a person who uses professional networking sites not just to keep in touch with contacts they already know, but also to create new contacts, connections and new business opportunities. Open Networkers therefore gravitate toward professional networking sites to take advantage of the speed and efficiency the internet has enabled them to make new business connections.
• LinkedIn’s user agreement prohibits users to, “invite people with whom you have no prior relationship to join your network.” What that means in practice is up to you to decide.
• Connecting with someone is equivalent to exchanging business cards, and sharing partial visibility to the names and titles of people in your rolodex. It doesn’t imply you trust them with your life.
• Hundreds of LinkedIn groups have popped up to support the needs of LinkedIn Open Networkers. Joining these groups gives you access to discussion boards.
• Join these LinkedIn Open Networker groups and find new connections. In a group you can start a new discussion thread introducing yourself, and other members will send you invites to connect.

Nourish your network

Your LinkedIn network is a living and growing entity that needs to be nourished regularly.

Take a moment to type into the LinkedIn search box the new people you met along the way. Nine out of 10 times you’ll find them, and you’ll both increase each other’s network.

by Phyllis Mufson, Catalyst for Personal and Professional Growth

Are you creative? Once upon a time, long ago, when the Russians were launching Sputnik into space, there was a giant Fortune-500 company headquartered in the United States. This firm was investing millions of dollars of research-and-development money into beating the Russians in the “Space Wars.”

They hired the best scientists and engineers and gave them the best equipment and absolutely anything they could think of to help the scientists to generate creative ideas and innovative products. And the results were – disappointing.

A few scientists were innovating, but the majority were not.

What to do? Thus began some early research into creativity. Researchers were hired to survey what the scientists read, what they ate for breakfast, their relationships with their mothers –- the list goes on –- and they found — nothing. They found no correlation between the questions they were investigating and who was producing results.

Until the researchers asked, “Are you creative?” It turned out that the scientists who answered “yes” were producing creative, innovative, groundbreaking work, and the scientists who answered “no” were not.

This was the breakthrough. With further investigation the researchers found out more. The scientists who considered themselves creative turned out to be better at tolerating ambiguity. This tolerance allowed them to keep going when the outcome was unclear, when the data didn’t make sense, and when they ran into information that seemed to be a paradox, to contradict itself. These traits allowed the creative scientists to persist until they finally reached success.

How about you? How might your life be different if you had faith in your creativity, in your ability to venture into the unknown and persist until you reached success?

What would you begin if you had that confidence?

Are you creative? Are you willing to consider the possibility that you are?

by Laura Sicola, PhD, Sicola Consulting Group

CCPA held a workshop titled “Marketing for tough times: Strategies for future growth.”  All three presenters, CCPA members themselves, offered valuable insights, suggestions and strategies to offer. Allow me to share a few highlights:

First off, Rick Simmons, president, Dinkum Interactive, addressed social media. Rick demystified the terms and purposes of social-media marketing as they differ from traditional forms of communication and offered suggestions for tailoring marketing plans to meet any budget. A key point was the sobering realization that online, the consumer is “in charge,” and the best we can aim for is to be visible. Then, once you’ve got their attention and they have clicked to your website, you have a paltry two seconds to convince them to stay there and read more or click other links.

Second, Steve Bauer, co-founder, The Three Marketeers, and founder and instructor, The Referral Academy, clarified referral relationships and how to position yourself to make the most of them. Referrers accelerate the process of finding the “fit” between the buyer and seller. Who wants to waste time and resources with lots of trial and error? It’s important to know enough about both parties to give a good referral that will fit the needs and values of both, thereby strengthening your own reputation and the three-way relationship. We all want referrals from others, so we need to consider the ideal referral profile. Then, the question becomes what you do with a referral once you have the contact information; having a clear system for follow-up builds credibility and trust for you as seller or referrer alike, and that’s where everything begins.

Finally, Bill Ringle, founder, MyBusinessGym.com, spoke about developing new business when the economy won’t cooperate. He focused on “the universe rewards action,” which he professed and reinforced in a practical, thought-provoking way.

This workshop left a great impression regarding the caliber of professionals among us. I look forward to the next CCPA opportunity of this sort and whole-heartedly encourage you to attend.

by Joan Silverstein, Center City Concierge

Some benefits can make an impact in the lives of employers and employees alike.  In today’s economy, how do you offer a more creative and cost cutting benefit that will:

• Improve productivity?
• Enhance workplace satisfaction?
• Boost employee commitment?
• Reduce absenteeism?

A concierge service is one such benefit. You might not think about concierge services other that those offered in hotels. But corporate concierge services are becoming more commonplace, since work/life balance affects everyone.

A corporate concierge can plan meetings, help employees during relocation, do web research, assist in cost-effective employee appreciation programs, perform personal shopping, plan special events and find a pet sitter, house cleaner or plumber.

Ten percent of the workday can be spent on personal tasks, according to the American Institute of Stress. Add to that the absenteeism resulting from the need to attend to life’s necessities, and you can see how these factors have a major impact on productivity and efficiency.

Ultimately, by offering concierge services to employees, you are acknowledging their commitment by providing them with a very valuable resource — time.

by Audrey Julienne, Raison d’Etre

What LinkedIn can do for you
There are four ways LinkedIn will add value to your professional life:

• Take control of your online identity – prior to you blog or company website, your LinkedIn profile is the first result on searches
• Find a dream job/client/business partner
• Maintain & foster relationships with colleagues (past, present & future), peers you meet at events, etc…
• Provide value to your professional network by recommending peers, answering their questions (LinkedIn Answers), giving introductions…

Developing a business headline or tagline
To stand out from other vendors, you need a unique market position. It should send a message as to why the public should employ you & your services. It should be interesting and should include value statements that attract the person to you and your profile:

• Define your unique market position
• Define your target audience
• Define the goals for your LinkedIn page

The importance of adding a photograph
Whether your target audience is restaurant owners, buyers or managers, it’s important to add a photograph. Anonymous profiles do little or nothing to project a professional image or to instill confidence in the person who is viewing your profile. Remember that LinkedIn is a professional business networking site. Accordingly, leave the family, pet photos offline or on other social networking sites.

Why and how to enter your education and employment information

• Enter all work positions. The public enjoys those “janitor” to “owner” stories.
• Enter the complete company name. If the name of the company has changed, include the former companies name (formerly…)
• Be open and honest with the information you provide. Do not exaggerate the position or your duties.
• When preparing the description, describe your duties accurately. Even if the job is not relevant, the skills learned may be.

The importance of keywords
Whether it’s Google, Yahoo or LinkedIn, search engines love good keywords. Before you enter your description, define your keywords.

• Identify your keywords.
• Expand your keywords looking for synonyms
• Analyze your keywords

Testing the effectiveness of using your keywords
Before you complete your description, test your keywords by searching for people on LinkedIn.

Setting up and driving traffic to your website
Do not use the LinkedIn tags like “My website” or “My blog.” Instead, use “Other” and write your own description. If you desire more traffic to your website, use less of a description and more of a call to action. Even if you don’t have a blog or three different websites, send prospects to three different landing pages.

Setting up your summary and other interest sections
The Summary section allows you to restate your background, skills, experience, areas of expertise…. Again, it should be a description that is keyword laden and consistent with your profile.
The Other section is the only area where you should disclose personal information such as interests, hobbies. It allows a more personal connection and your viewers to get a better sense of who you are.

A content management system (CMS) is software that allows you to manage your own website without knowing programming languages. It turns written or graphic content into HTML and posts it. It crops images, formats updates and handles other tasks.

A CMS allows you to update your site without incurring costs from a web designer. It’s usually easy, friendly and useful. Whether you need a CMS depends on the type of business you have, the scope of your website and the amount of marketing you plan on doing. You should have a CMS

• If you want an e-commerce site.
• If you are running a publication, magazine or newspaper online.
• If you often update menus, news, events, photos and such. 

You can choose from 3 types of CMS providers. 

• Use free software, such as WordPress or Drupal.
• Hire a web-developer to customize one of those software systems.
• Choose an independent CMS software provide.

Good luck.