Public Domain Websites

I’m sure a lot of you know about public domain and how it works. In a nutshell, these are items that anyone is free to use – images, video’s etc. I have some great links to sites that have public domain images, and you can use for them for anything. I will be posting them on this article.

There are other images you can use that have what is called  a “Creative Commons License” in the list of links I am going to give you, you will see references to this term and you should know what this means.

Creative Commons License

A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of the several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work.

A CC license is common when an author wants to give people the right to share, use and build upon a work that they have created. CC provides an author flexibility (for example, they might choose to allow only non-commercial uses of their own work) and protects the people who use or redistribute an author's work, so they don’t have to worry about copyright infringement, as long as they abide by the conditions that are specified on the license by which the author distributes the work. Creative Commons Licenses are free of charge to the public. The details of each of these licenses depend on the version.

There are four basic types here are the icons and what they mean:

*derivative: Imitating or changing or creating something based on the original work.
*copyleft: A general method for marking a creative work as freely available to be modified, and requiring all modified and extended versions of the program to be free as well.

I have a list of over 140 websites that have public domain images. In this article I am going to be listing 10. If you would like to get the whole list email me (use the subject line Royalty Free) I will get them to you..

1. Public Domain Photos - PublicPhoto.Org - All photographs available on this site are 100% free for use, including private and commercial use. The site has more than 2,500 galleries consisting of over 24,000 unique photos (including the old gallery). At least three galleries--that is, up to 30-40 photos--are added to the site daily. Each image can be downloaded in at least four dimensional sizes: thumbnail, normal, large and very large. Photos are up to 4752 x 3168 maximum.
2. Wikimedia Commons hosts only freely licensed images, sound files, and other media. With over 16 million uploaded files, (as of February 2013), it is the largest free "images-only" repository. It contains many public domain images.
3. Photos Public Domain Thousands of high quality public domain photographs free for any use, with no restrictions. Collections included are: textures, animals, nature, and a variety of stock images for any use, including commercial.
4. PD Poster Public domain posters
5. BestPhotos.us Search millions of public domain photos or browse the best
6. Public-domain.zorger.com features scans of art from pre-1922 books and various photos, free for any use.
7. GIMP Archive - 32,000+ Royalty-free photos, organized by keyword.
8. Public Domain Footage - Public domain archival stock footage and newsreels.
9. My Public Domain Pictures - A growing collection of amateur pictures released into public domain. You can use their pictures for any purpose and they do not require anything in return. Pictures are up to 2048 X 1361.
10. TotallyFreeImages.com - Totally free public-domain images - This is the largest archive on the Internet with over 494,000 hi-res professional-grade royalty-free images, 100% public-domain and acceptable for use with Wikipedia. (collection from government sources).

 Until next time have a fabulous day...

For a free initial consultation or if you just want to ask a few questions contact me: pamela@artistadesign.com



Pamela Jacob
Google+

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

7 Steps That Will Make Your Business Sizzle…

“It doesn’t matter whether your product is information or a flyswatter. If you understand marketing, you can make serious income.” Robert G. Allan, Author Multiple Streams of Internet Income

A lot of business owners don’t realize it is the little things that one does that will make a BIG difference in their success.

We all look at the big picture – the all important professional website, blog and of course optimizing with keywords and page titles. But what will really make a difference between you and your competitor?

Read on….

1. What makes you different from your competitors?

You need to focus on what makes your business unique. Why should people come to you over your competition? Then you take that idea and run with it, really make sure you “promote” that on your website and marketing material.

2. Over coming worries and objections.

What are your potential clients most worried about when it comes to your service or product.

How can you reassure them – or at least answer their most prevalent concerns. This may take some market research – but most of us, who have been in business for any length of time, have a good idea what that is. If you get the same questions over and over – or concern’s that is something you want to put to answer up front.

How do you remedy this? In the copy on your marketing materials/website (right up front) you need to address this and give the answer.

Example:

“Is your website just sitting there doing nothing?” Well we have the answer you are looking for! We design/redesign websites that are made for marketing.

You get my drift...

3. Be Genuine

Being genuine is very attractive to all consumers – are you just being a pitch man or are you sincere when you connect with your potential clients.

People know when someone is out for the money or genuinely interested in solving a problem for them. Think about it – when I get someone who I think is pressuring me or just out for the sale they are off my list. I will not do business with them.

4. Be Honest

Don’t over sell your service – don’t promise things that you are not willing to follow through on. Don’t act like you know something when you don’t – it is OK to say let me get back with you on that.

Don’t stretch the truth – even a little. Absolutely STAND BEHIND your word.

5. Don’t under estimate the power of testimonials.

Endorsements and testimonials are effective ways to dramatize facts and back up the benefits of your product, but don't use ones that look or feel transparent.Any testimonials you use must be true.

I cannot tell you how many times I have landed a job because people read my testimonials – and it help cement my credibility.

6. Be generous with your knowledge.

It is important that you give of your knowledge generously. You don’t have to give away the farm to be helpful. If not you are giving the impression that you are just out for the money – or perhaps you are not a real expert.

I am always happy to give my clients or potential client’s tips or refer them to other businesses that I believe in. I will give information away for free – and even when I find an article that I think will help one of my clients I will send the link.

I am a true believer in helping people succeed – and giving information that will help. I guarantee it will come back to you ten fold. It also helps with your credibility – and shows you as an expert in your field.

7. Promptly answer any emails, and return phone calls.

How many times have you contacted a representative of a business- or a business owner because you were truly interested in what they were offering – and they don’t call you back, they don’t email you, in fact it looks like they fell off the face of the earth. I have more times then you could ever imagine…

When you get a lead – contact them. When someone calls or emails you should respond as soon as you get the lead. Follow through and follow up, it is that simple.

Even if you don’t have the answer right away or you may not even be the right person for the job - let them know you have received the message, if you cannot or do not offer the service/product they need do not hesitate to refer them to someone who can.

Be cheerful and expedient in returning a phone calls and email. Let them know that you sincerely appreciate their business and not to hesitate in contacting you, if there is any way you can be of further assistance.

One more morsel of truth: Always aim for satisfaction, great customer service, and genuine interest in your client and their needs. It is a lot easier to keep a customer then to get one so treat your customers as if they were gold and you will find customer come back again and again…

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

Call or Email now for a free consultation - pamela@artistadesign.com or 801.910.4825

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Graphic Design, Website Development, Website Re-Design, Social Media, Consulting, Project management, Branding, Marketing, Blog Design

A New Year – A New Start!!

I have been a bit quiet since the beginning of December but – not anymore!! The holiday season was a bit overwhelming for me – parties, family and friends – but I am ready to hit the road and I hope you are too! Success is more than just a big pay check it is enjoying what you do and the challenges that you face. Don’t get me wrong I have had some really tough challenges (last month being one of them) when I have wondered is this really the path I want to go down! But all in all being an entrepreneur and blazing my own path has given me more than I could ever hope for. My hope is in this coming year, I can help your business succeed– and you can see the success that you have been dreaming of - by offering you the knowledge and lessons that I have learn through so many years of “blazing my own trail”. I believe my own unique gift is that of gathering the tools to be able to offer the best when it comes to helping people just like you develop businesses that are uniquely yours. Branded with a look and feel that is personally yours - attracting and retaining the customers you need to make your business an amazing success…. In a nutshell let’s get moving to make 2008 the year your business sky rockets!!

The 9 Steps to Launching an Effective Landing Page!

I have people approach me all the time to design a landing page, but they do not really understand that a lot more than the design goes into the implementation of this page. Of course the design is of utmost importance, you want to portray the right image as well as collect all the relevant information for your data-base. However, just like branding your image through graphic design or building a website it is much more complicated than that. Below you will find the proper steps to putting together an effective landing/squeeze page. If you find a designer who only designs the page and does not explain the rest (or do the rest) – find someone else, you will not get what you are paying for – it is worth a few extra dollars to get the results you want. If you don't get results you are throwing your money away! Before having a professional put together a page make sure you have your free item (bonus or leader) – report, e-book, mp3 (or whatever you want to give away) developed. You want to give the recipient something of quality the best you have to offer. If you don't and they perceive your free gift to be of sub-standard quality they they will not let me repeat WILL NOT buy your service or product – in fact, they will be convinced that the quality of your company is poor, quite the opposite effect of what you are trying to portray… Remember: When you make a customer/potential customer happy they may tell a few friends. When you disappoint or make a customer/potential customer unhappy everyone will hear about it. That is something you don't want to happen to your reputation or your business. Furthermore, make sure you have researched and put together the best copy for the page. Look at other successful landing pages and see how they pull people in with the benefits that are listed. If you are at a loss for verbiage, see if you website developer does that type of work or knows someone who does. For a little more money, it is well worth the cost. The 9 Steps to Launching an Effective Landing Page

1. Register a unique domain name
2. Research to find the proper Keywords that will lead visitors to your page.
3. Write the copy using the keywords found
4. Design the page\
5. Implement the auto responder/ form
6. Put together a page with the downloads so that when the person signs up for the free - stuff it will automatically direct them to the free download page.
7. Put an opt-in or thank you letter in position that will automatically go out when a potential customer sign up for the freebie's - this will thank them for downloading your free item and have a link to your website.
8. Upload your squeeze page to your domain.
9. Start your viral marketing campaign!

Once all this is done you are now ready to market your freebie to the world – collecting those names are so important to your business - remember your data-base is gold!

FYI: My company does landing and squeeze page design and implementation for $250. To see a portfolio of work - go to www.artistadesign.com (access the portfolio links)

Providing Creative Solutions & Valuable Results

Affiliates Friend or Foe?

I am a person that likes junk mail… As a little child I loved commercials… And even now as frustrated as I am getting hundreds of emails a day (that I don't always ask for) there are times I love to go through select emails and do research. Check out the offers – see how they are put together etc. Don't get me wrong there are days when I just check all and hit the delete button (those day when I am feeling overwhelmed) – but you would be amazed at what are in all those (extra) offers. Today the realization hit me… A Hugh number of e-ads (my name for them) that come in are trying to sell people on the preconceived belief that they can become rich just by being an affiliate to thousands of products and services… Now I am a big believer in being an affiliates when I have tried a product and/or service and love it. There is nothing wrong (in fact I encourage it) with letting everyone know about how fantastic a product/service is. If you get a little something from it great – that is the way it should be – give and take – ebb and flow, a reward for a job well done. However – I personally would never become an affiliate just for the sake of pulling in a little (or a lot of) extra cash. My reputation and credibility are much too important to me… Have you ever really thought about it? When you sign up as an affiliate you are telling the world that YOU endorse that product/service. What happens if it looks like a great product and doesn't work? Or the business sounds remarkably wonderful, however the individuals providing the offer lack in customer service and/or are unethical in what they provide?? Do you believe that anyone that gets burned once from you will ever come back? You've heard the old saying – burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me… Did you know that when a consumer is happy and satisfied with a product or service, they may tell a friend or two (if and when it comes up). When a consumer is unhappy, they tell everyone that will listen… As vast as the internet and all its parts are – it can still be a very small place. The movers and shakers on the internet are still a pretty small bunch (in relative terms). If you are recommending bad products and/or services you yourself will soon be out of business. If you your goal is only to make a quick buck – no matter what the scheme… Don't waste you time. Honestly, you will not get very far for very long… Be sure and check out any affiliates you may be endorsing, like I have said I do believe in affiliates – in fact, I provide a 10% finders fee for anyone who does send customers my way – and I have made a really good living with referrals, but the referrals were genuine – a lot of the people that send referrals my way didn't even know I was going to give them a payment. In fact some clients refer people to me so they can get extra services for free! Great incentive… Remember: I do believe in affiliate programs. I endorse many affiliates but I have used their goods and services and stand by them. Make sure you do the same, know the affiliates you are endorsing if you don’t heed my warning it is going to come back and bite you in the (you know what!!)

Take a Deep Breath

Everyday when I go to my email I am bombarded with fantastic offers, once in a lifetime report's and never to be offered again information … I myself am guilty of putting time limits on offers and sending them out – real genuine offers. Offers that shouldn't be passed up… But even I must admit I have gotten to the point where I don't want to open 99% of my email… If it is a client or an adviser that I am truly following great if not it goes right into the trash… Are you on information overload? Is your day spent scouring zillions of emails and trying to find nuggets of gold in them their hills? How many of you find that as you are browsing through your email looking at the great offers – reading (must have) information your day is gone, and you really have not accomplished anything with your business? What are you really after? I assume in reality it is to have a successful business, retain previous customers and honestly attract new clients. I believe this is true no matter what your business is. How long has it been since you have really looked at your business, analyzed it and decided what you really need and where you want to go? How many of you have gotten so caught up in learning the latest and greatest (make 2 zillion dollars this month) thing to come around the pike that you failed to diligently maintain the business you have, you have been chasing the elusive secret that will bring you unprecedented wealth and fortune? And all the while your current business is slipping through your fingers? Pulling it together and settling down with the truth can be a sobering task… Making sure you stick with what is working while learning what will grow you business can really be a challenge. As someone who has to constantly learn, research and study all the newest and greatest marketing and development techniques (and has a firm grasp on what it takes), even I get to the point I just feel frazzled and fragmented with all the information floating in my head… I too have to remind myself to do the following… Take a step back, take a deep breath and don’t forget your core business practices, extraordinary customer service and the thing you have done that provided you the great customers you have now. Find a some really good resources and successful business people you know are ethical and will tell you the undisputed truth, not fill you full of hype and false promises. Follow them and what they have to teach you… Most of all constantly remember your core values, use your gut instincts and get out there and give it all you've got… Pamela Jacob Artista Design