Three Pass Additional Google Certifications
CONGRATULATIONS! We are excited to announce that Vivid Image programmers, Justin McGuire and Deanna Schwint have both successfully passed their ...
Connect
Anyone who has worked with me knows I am all about producing results and getting things done very quickly. I love being a copywriter and a source of social media inspiration for our team and clients. After 20 years, I’m still very enthusiastic about our company purpose “to experience the joy of making small daily differences in our clients’ lives that lead to a brighter future.”
Philanthropy & Service Passions
Fun Facts About Beth
“Oh, Happy Day!”
What I've been up to lately...
What Does Leadership Look Like on Social Media?
Leadership is as important on social media as anywhere else. With social media so prominent in our lives, it’s critical that leaders set ...
Congratulations Loraina!
Vivid Image is a proud sponsor of the annual Hutchinson Jaycees Water Carnival. Congratulations to our queen candidate, Loraina Tillmann, who was ...
Look at What We’ve Been Up To!
There’s no doubt we love what we do. It’s been busy around our office, and our favorite part of every project is to celebrate with our clients ...
What is the Facebook Pixel?
What is the Facebook pixel and why would you possibly care? The Facebook pixel is a snippet of code that is generated in the Facebook ads ...
Vivid Image Welcomes Two to Team!
Amanda Caven and Ellie Koepp joined our team on Monday, April 24, 2017. The duo brings our staff to 17, and we couldn’t be happier ...
Four Vivid Image Staff Google Certified
Three additional Vivid Image staff recently completed and successfully passed their Google Certifications in Google Analytics, Adwords ...
Adam Dince is Coming to Hutchinson!
Maybe you’ve had the opportunity to hear Adam Dince speak at a Social Media Rockstar event or another marketing conference? Adam has ...
10 Things Facebook Page Admins Need to Do
I recently gave a presentation at the Social Media Breakfast Central Minnesota about “10 Things Facebook Page Admins Tragically Are Not ...
Cyber Security was Music to My Ears at Paisley Park
What do you get when you blend a few of my favorite things into one day? An outstanding experience! On February 22, I was invited by BusinessWare ...
Beth Gasser, Featured Speaker at February SMB
Next Thursday, February 23, 2017 close to 60 people will gather at the Crow River Winery for the monthly Social Media Breakfast Central ...
The Basics of Email Drip Campaigns
An email drip campaign is using email to nurture prospects/leads over time and turn them into customers. It is a very effective form of ...
The Pets of Vivid Image
If you’ve ever stopped into our office on a day when one of our many fur babies is visiting, you already know the excitement, enthusiasm, ...
Karlie Awarded Young Leader of the Year 2016
Congratulations to Karlie Mosher! Karlie is a graphic designer at Vivid Image. She is a leader inside and outside of work. After completing ...
Vivid Image Welcomes Melissa Goldstein
Melissa Goldstein joined our team in early January as our Office Manager. Melissa is a wonderful addition to our office and brings with her four ...
The Marketing and Technology Trends We Think You’ll See in 2017
This is a short and sweet compilation of what our staff feels will be the trend in 2017. You can look forward to more in depth information on our ...
Take a Look at This!
There’s no doubt we love what we do. It’s been busy around our office, and our favorite part of every project is to celebrate with ...
Outstanding Results from Unlikely Places
Every business owner has a limited amount of time to devote to required tasks related to operating and growing a business. It’s imperative ...
Random Website Audit Emails
Have you recently received an email from someone you’ve never heard of that caught your attention through a startling revelation about your ...
Creating Synergy to Heighten Branding and Save Money
The Importance of Disclosing Vendors Starting a new website design or redesign project is exciting for everyone. The momentum is at an all time ...
Tired of Hearing from Fans They Never See Your Facebook Fan Page Posts?
If you’ve heard from more than one person that they never seem to see your fan page updates in their newsfeed, your best course of action ...
Understanding Your Generation Z Market
Teenagers today are likely either at the tail end of “Millennials” if they are an older teen or what’s being referred to as ...
Vivid Image: A Different Place to Work
Vivid Image is hiring two new full-time positions. In an effort to get the word out to applicants, we thought we’d approach the hiring ...
Simple Set Up of Business PayPal Account
Many of us have personal PayPal accounts that come in handy. However, if you are looking to accept payments or donations online through your ...
Your Hashtag is Only as Good as Your Privacy Settings
#TakeNote! Your clever hashtag that you’ve gone through the trouble of consistently using may not be going viral anytime soon if nobody ...
A Small Business Success Story: Stamp-N-Storage
If you or someone you know is into scrapbooking, crafting, or stamping, they have likely tapped into that niche market and may have heard of ...
Do You Know About These Changes Facebook Made to Your Fan Page?
Facebook has rolled out a few changes we want to share with you. Facebook Change #1 The first one, you may have already noticed, is the ...
Vivid Image Earns Google Partner Certification
Vivid Image is pleased to announce that we have earned our Google Partner Certification. As a Google Partner, Vivid Image has achieved a rigorous ...
Results Revealed: 2016 Predictions
2015 Prediction Results Last year our staff made some predictions for 2015 in the field of marketing, technology, and the web. You can read our ...
Content Marketing Summary from Social Media Breakfast
This morning Christina Mikanowski, Vice-President of Maccabee presented to the Social Media Breakfast Central Minnesota on the topic of Content ...
How I Use Google Alerts to My Advantage
Google Alerts is one of the marketing gems out there that not enough people utilize, and the best part about it is that it’s free. Simple ...
The 20% Rule for Facebook Ads
If you are considering a Facebook Ad or even a paid Facebook Boosted Post for your fan page, you must adhere to Facebook’s advertising ...
Come Visit Our New Willmar Office
Friday, February 19th Vivid Image has the honor of hosting the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber Connection. The event begins at 7:30 am at our newest ...
2016 Vivid Image Classes Accepting Registrations
We have recently published our list of classes, dates, and descriptions for 2016, and all classes are now open for registration. Class size is ...
Vivid Image: 2015 Year in Review
This past year was a year of growth, exciting changes, and milestones for Vivid Image! 20th Anniversary In 2015, Vivid Image celebrated 20 years ...
4 Reasons I Don’t Buy from You
Why in the heck would people not want to buy from you? As it turns out, there are plenty of reasons, and it only takes one to turn someone away ...
Vivid Image Opens Office in Willmar, MN
On our 20th year in business, Vivid Image is excited to announce the opening of our new office in Willmar, MN as of January 1, 2016. The office ...
Planning for a Website Redesign
Whether your tossing around the idea or firmly made up your mind, there are some things you need to consider prior to initiating a website ...
Can You Help?
It’s important to us that we give back to our community in meaningful ways. We’ve found that when we take big needs and break them down into ...
Watch Out World. Periscope Is Here!
Have you heard of Periscope yet? If not, you probably will. It’s a new social media platform that is gaining speed. It is fascinating, ...
What Do I Do With Old Blog Posts?
If you are wondering what you should be doing with old blog posts, you are not alone. This is a frequently asked question, and one that deserves ...
Keep the Content Curation Process Going. It’s Important.
Once you have established there are no fundamental barriers within your organization or among your staff to prevent the content curation process ...
Wait! What? I Can’t Believe He Said That…
Did you know that 88% of people online will take the time to read reviews and 85% of them read up to 10 reviews, according to Search Engine Land. ...
Using Instagram for Business
Instagram has grown in popularity since its inception, and it has some very unique social media aspects. The most interesting thing about ...
Obliterating Obstacles to Content Curation Process
There are a few common problems people encounter when curating content for a website, blog, or newsletter. If you already know some type of ...
Embracing the Arts: RiverSong Music Festival
Vivid Image embraces the arts, volunteerism, and community growth. Each summer we’re given an opportunity to sponsor and assist with one of ...
6 Signs to Alert You Your Website Needs Updating
When is the last time you REALLY looked at your website? By looking at your website I mean clicked on links, looked at sub-pages, filled out ...
Why Simplifying is Important for Your Business
One of the values we hold dear at Vivid Image is Simplicity. We try to make everything remarkably simple for our clients, and we highly ...
What is Phishing?
Phishing is a deceptive act in which unsavory individuals try to obtain your personal information, such as passwords and financial information. ...
WordCamp Minneapolis 2015
The Vivid Image crew is looking forward to attending WordCamp again this year and bringing back lots of ideas, information and inspiration for ...
Effectively Marketing Your Hashtags
Remember the SNL skit of the Computer Guy who knows his stuff so well that he doesn’t allow any latitude for the poor lay person? Those of us in ...
Top 10 Things You Need to Know to Get More Traffic to Your Facebook Event
If your business or non-profit is hosting an event and you want the word to spread, Facebook Events is a great place to start. However, simply ...
Handling Negative Comments
One of the most paralyzing aspects of using social media is anticipating negative comments. While negative comments are a reality of putting ...
2015 Classes Announced
Vivid Image clients can take a look at all Vivid Image classes offered throughout 2015 and register for upcoming classes. Classes are exclusive ...
A Brand New Year!
January Business of the Month January 2015 marks the start of a new year, and Vivid Image is proud to be the Hutchinson Chamber of ...
Links and Republishing Articles: What You Can and Can’t Do
We commend you for asking this question, as it’s critical to pay close attention to copyrights and follow proper Internet marketing protocol. ...
Most Popular Blog Posts of 2014
Each year it’s interesting to look through our Google Analytics to find out what is read the most, what is shared the most, and what blog ...
Twitter Quick Tips
My goal is to give bite-sized actionable items people can use to make their social media experience better. Whether you’re just starting ...
Pages or Posts: How Do I Choose?
With so many wonderfully simple options available to WordPress website owners, it may be confusing to know the difference between a Page or a ...
How Do You Explain the Importance of Shopping Local to Someone Who Doesn’t Get It?
When you stop in to the local hardware store, liquor store, repair shop, hair salon, or jewelry store, it’s comforting to know where to find what ...
Give to the Max Day 2014: Will You Give?
Give to the Max Day is BIGGEST day of the year for non-profits to fundraise and gain the most momentum and free marketing help from fans, ...
Best Random Tips Ever
Ok, so they aren’t completely random, but they are loosely related to marketing, web, and social media. However, many people may find these ...
Toothbrushes: One of the Most Essential Items
One of our clients, McLeod Alliance of Victims of Domestic Violence helps so many men, women, and children each year. It is their mission to ...
Not So Fast! Sharing Isn’t Always a Great Idea
Since we could walk or talk, we’ve been taught that sharing is a good thing. When social media entered the marketing scene, we ...
What the Heck is Farmfest?
Have you heard about Farmfest? I had heard of Farmfest and followed the event on social media the last few years. Knowing that many of our ...
Dear Fellow Business Owners: Is This You?
I found this article that I wrote many years ago, when I had a slightly different role within Vivid Image. However, as I read through it again, I ...
The Elusive Website Address
Is finding your website address where it needs to be, similar to pinning down Bigfoot? Elusive website addresses aren’t good. You spend too ...
Getting Started with an Enewsletter
Ever thought about starting a newsletter for your business or organization, but didn’t quite know where to start? Maybe you have a costly “paper” ...
Do You Have Good Online Etiquette?
Online, email, and social media etiquette was a recent topic at the Social Media Breakfast Central Minnesota, and as it turns out, people are ...
Online Classes Offered to Clients
When we rolled out our “Safe and Sound” plan that helps our clients get the most from their website, online assets, technology, and ...
Customer Submitted Photos
If you would like to have customers submit photos to you, it has never been easier. Photos of customers, your products, services, and stories are ...
How to Write an "About Us" Page That Doesn’t Stink
Your business has a culture. You may or may not be aware of what it is, but it definitely exists. Taking a careful look at your “company ...
Stay Away from Twitter if…
A few years ago I wrote a “tongue in cheek” article about Twitter, expounding on reasons not to use Twitter. Essentially I took all ...
Vivid Image Welcomes Two to the Team
Shannon Streich, Graphic Designer: “Being a Hutchinson native, I have been fortunate enough to be able to return to Hutchinson and ...
What Will Get the ‘Ole Heart Pumping and Foot Twitching in 2014?
Each New Year promises exciting changes, new technologies, and significant shifts in trends. 2014 is shaping up to be a sensational year for ...
Fairy Dust for Writers
What do you do when you’re told you need to write content for your company’s blog or newsletter, and writing is definitely not ...
Remember How It Used to Be?
Remember how holiday shopping and preparations used to be? While I lacked for nothing growing up, and there were always presents under the tree, ...
Is 2014 the Year You Embrace Video?
Make plans to attend the next Social Media Breakfast Central Minnesota on Thursday, November 21, 2013 for what promises to be a high energy ...
Give to the Max Day is an Exciting 24 Hours for Our Clients
Give to the Max Day is this Thursday, November 14, 2013. You’re already seeing ads on television and social media channels as #GTMD13 ...
Plan to Make a Ruckus in 2014
Is 2014 the year of growth for your company? Is next year when you plan to focus more on getting results from your website? It’s time to ...
Please Don’t Endorse Me for That
If you spend any time on LinkedIn, you’re used to the constant barrage of messages asking if you want to endorse your associates for a ...
Facebook Contest Rules Change Again
Writing about Facebook’s recent changes in contests is an interesting topic, given that I’ve seen multiple violations daily since the ...
Is Social Media Right for Your Business?
The question of whether or not your business should be on social media is best answered by a series of questions your business or organization ...
Has Twitter Lost Its Cool?
Twitter was the “it” thing for a while, and it seems many people jumped on the band wagon. Maybe you were one of those people? If ...
Marketing Efforts Bring Music Legend, Talent, and Tons of People to Hutchinson, MN
I grew up listening to my parents music, and while our tastes have diverged a bit over the years, I still have a deep appreciation for ...
Social Media Day is June 30
Since someone went through all the trouble of designating June 30th as the official Social Media Day, we thought we’d take the opportunity ...
NEW! Facebook Adds Some Much Appreciated Features
Facebook is rolling out some new features, and I have to admit that they’re all good and aimed at helping businesses use Facebook better. ...
Website Updates You Simply Can’t Forget
These last few months have been a whirlwind of new technology, trends, and online changes. Many businesses and organizations we work with have ...
All Kinds of New Features on Facebook, Again!
You’ve likely noticed all kinds of little (and big) changes on Facebook again recently, and there’s even more to come! Here’s a ...
New WordPress 3.5 Image Uploader Interface
If you have a WordPress site, you’re likely familiar with the beauty of this technology and its ever changing features, enhancements, and ...
Pic of the Day: Lamb or Lion?
This photo was taken by Vivid Image Designer, Karlie Mosher on a recent trip to Minnehaha Falls. Spring is supposedly coming in like a lamb, but ...
Keywords That Are Too General
Keywords are important to understand, as you focus your website and blog content to increase traffic. And while it’s understandable that ...
Google, Keywords, and Your Opinion
The talk of “keywords” has been in the web design and online marketing vocabulary for years. Of all the tasks pertaining to SEO (the ...
WordPress Blog Posts Not Auto-Feeding to Facebook
If you’ve used an app such as NetworkedBlogs or RSS Graffiti to automatically post new blog articles to your Facebook fan page timeline ...
Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts from 2012
These articles garnered the most traffic, shares, reads, and/or comments making them our most popular blog posts from 2012. We thought they were ...
Grab Bag: Photos for Your Blog That Leave Nothing to Chance
There’s no question that photos are a popular component in marketing. Photos engage people, generate interest and get shared. That’s why it’s ...
Mystery Meat: You May Be Surprised What You Find
The idea of mystery meat isn’t appealing. It’s actually quite appalling, unless of course you love cheap hot dogs. Most of us would avoid ...
Give to the Max Day is Today!
Each year Give to the Max Day grows in participation, donations, and awareness thanks in part to social media. Give to the Max Day is 24 hours ...
Administering a Fan Page Without Using Facebook Personally
Dear Vivid Image, Our business would like to build a fan page on Facebook, but some of our employees whom we’d want to manage the fan page ...
3 Benefits of Finding Good Guest Bloggers
Using guest bloggers isn’t right for every business. Even if guest blogging is a good fit for your business, not every guest blogger is a good ...
Social Media Breakfast: Free, Monthly Marketing Resource
What if there was a free resource to help you market your business or organization offered on a regular basis, but close enough you didn’t ...
Find Out How Much of Your Target Audience is Using Mobile
Dear Vivid Image, There is so much in the news lately about mobile devices. It is important for our business to know how many of our website ...
Fixing a Google+ Automatic Local Listing Error
Dear Vivid Image, The other day I did a search for our company on Google and found something disturbing. Google, or Google+ I should say, had our ...
Top 10 BIG Facebook Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
10. Long Updates: If you are writing updates the equivalent of an epic movie script, stop! Updates should be limited to one line when possible, ...
Website Metrics Made Simple
While website metrics can be extremely complex and go into depth analyzing the smallest of details, most small business website owners just want ...
What in the World Did Mat, Steve, and Eric Do?
On Friday, August 23, Steve, Mat and Eric left for Chicago to attend WordCamp. This isn’t Vivid Image’s first trip to WordCamp, and it’s likely ...
Conversations That Matter
All our clients have a special place in our hearts. It is through getting to know them, their businesses and goals that we form relationships ...
Connect with Your Fans Like Lady Gaga
We all can’t have little “monsters” following us around admiring our every move and decision, but the power of a loyal fan in indisputable. As ...
The Secret to Google Local Changes
We’ve talked about the importance of businesses having a presence on Google Local for quite some time. When Google+ came on the scene, many ...
Double Check You Aren’t Missing Out
Facebook changes frequently, and as a business it can be hard to keep up. If you aren’t on Facebook everyday or you don’t spend time ...
How to Set Up a Personal Profile on LinkedIn
If you are new to LinkedIn, then you’ve likely been “sold” on the reasons to join this social site. While LinkedIn is a rapidly ...
Hiring for Passion, Fun and Creativity
When is the last time you built a fort? Maybe you need a reminder that it usually includes kids dragging out every blanket in the house, moving ...
Add Tags to Your WordPress Blog Posts
Question: What can I do to get more traffic to my WordPress website and get better search engine results? Answer: While there are many components ...
How-To Set Up a Twitter Account
People often ask me how to get started on Twitter. The first step is setting up an account, and I’m going to explain how to set it up so ...
Small Businesses Share Their Stories in Video Shared with Law Makers
Today’s successful use of social media brings us to Southwest Minnesota where new ideas and business creativity thrive. Kurt Thompson, a Program ...
How to Get YouTube Overlays to Work
YouTube overlays are those nifty grey boxes that show up on a video like an ad, only they are created by the same person who posted the video. It ...
Tips to Grow Your Facebook Fan Page
A friend recently called me to discuss her fan page and said, “Our fan page is sad looking. How can I get more traffic to it and make it ...
Success Story: Fitness and Social Media
With visions of people hunched over computer screens, you may be wondering how fitness and social media belong in the same headline. BLEND, a ...
Facebook Offers New Opportunities for Small Business
You can love or hate the new Facebook Timelines for fan pages. But we’d like to highlight one very positive outcome; Facebook has forced ...
Ready to Text Your Small Business Customers?
We’ve sure progressed in communication, haven’t we? Texting is a long way from hieroglyphics, but if you squint, one of the pictures ...
Your Facebook Fan Page is Changing, Are You Ready?
If you have logged into your Facebook Fan Page recently, you’ve likely noticed this message at the top of your page: We want to help you ...
Understanding WordPress: How Do I Tell If a Comment is Spam
Each quarter we offer a WordPress Refesher course for our clients, giving me an opportunity to help them maximize their use of WordPress. I get a ...
Our New Office in Minneapolis is Now Open
During a recent family vacation, Steve Gasser got the opportunity to feed and play with dolphins. Upon receiving some instructions from the ...
Vivid Image Launches a NEW Client-Inspired Website
For almost two decades, Vivid Image has met with small business owners and listened to ideas that have helped shape our company. We have gathered ...
Out of Blogging Inspiration? Here’s 56 Free Blogging Ideas
Check your “drafts” to see if you are ready to finish an article you started a while ago. Don’t forget to ask staff if they’d be ...
Easy Optimizing for YouTube
There are two parts to optimizing on YouTube so that people can find your videos and YouTube Channel if they aren’t following a link from ...
Why Local Listings are Important When Your Target Market Isn’t Local
You’ve likely heard a lot about claiming your local listings in Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Maybe you’ve been working under the ...
The Rules for Recycling Blog Posts
The other day a comment came through from a reader on a blog post that was written over two years ago; a reminder that what we write is indexed ...
Facebook Nostalgia
The changes that will begin happening on Facebook today may leave some people nostalgic for the days of old; The old Facebook that is. However, I ...
Who Is Losing Sleep Over Me?
Today’s post is different; a timely story I thought I’d share with you that may prompt you to think differently about your customers. ...
Facebook, Boldly Goes Where No Social Network Has Gone Before
Several of us at Vivid Image sat glued to a live stream video from f8 today to hear Mark Zuckerberg announce the much-anticipated changes to the ...
Rural Minnesota Organization Crafts the Perfect Tagline
Today’s Monday morning Remark!able post features an organization from rural Minnesota that is using social media to flush out a perfect, ...
Facebook Business Blunders
Millions of businesses look to Facebook to help grow their customer communities, but what happens when something goes wrong? Are you prepared for ...
Who is Getting a Five Star Review?
Writing reviews for businesses or providing them valuable feedback is not a new concept. We’ve seen “suggestion” boxes on the ...
Social Humor That Goes Viral
What is it that makes something go viral? We spend lots of time trying to figure out how, when, and what to post about that will engage our ...
SEO Straight From the Horse’s Mouth
Is search engine optimization still important? SEO, as it is commonly referred to, is still a critical component to those who rely heavily on ...
What We Can Learn From Kids
Kids are so passionate about things, aren’t they? Ever have a kid start over with a story a dozen times because she’s so excited she ...
Social Videos You Want to Pass Along
By now you’ve probably heard that video is playing a Remark!able role in social marketing, and you’ve maybe even been advised to ...
Learning to Lead in Olivia, MN
Are you a leader? Reach your full potential as a leader in new ways. If you’re looking for ways to succeed online, learn more about social ...
Is Customer Service More Remarkable in the Rural Midwest?
I recently took a brief vacation to Las Vegas, quite arguably one of the most decadent places in the world. Everything on the strip has a high ...
What Are You Doing Next Tuesday?
We’re hosting a “Meet and Greet” for our current artists next Tuesday, May 24, 2011 from 5pm to 7pm, and we’re inviting ...
Where Do You Go For a Great Hot Dog?
If you want a great hot dog, you go to Facebook or Twitter, of course! I want to share something Remark!able with you today, and it’s a ...
Youth Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists
How much can one kid do? We all know how hard it is to start a successful business or raise money for our favorite non-profit organization, yet ...
A Wealth of Marketing Ideas Unlocked by Facebook
If you are looking for ways to stand out on Facebook, there’s a new service that went live recently. It’s called Facebook Studio, and ...
The More Creative, The Better
Today’s Remark!able blog post is directed at some of the smaller, social media initiatives I’ve seen businesses using lately. We ...
Using Hashtags on Twitter to Aid Your Marketing Efforts
If you are on Twitter, but have had trouble figuring out how you can use Twitter to better market your business, there are ample ideas for taking ...
Getting Better Results from Facebook
If you have a business fan page or are considering building a fan base on Facebook, there are some wonderful tools for getting great results from ...
Customer Mugshots
Who are your customers? Most Mondays I write about Remark!able use of social media by a business or non-profit. Today is going to be a bit ...
A Grocery Bag Full of Tasty Blog Posts
It’s simple, it’s cheerful, and it’s creative. I’m talking about the Coborn’s blog, and it’s my choice for ...
All Aboard the WordPress Train April 14th
If your website is a WordPress site, you’ll want to be able to ask questions and get support from those who love and use WordPress ...
20 Tips to Building Your Own Facebook Business Page
We believe in taking small steps, and building a Facebook Page is a great step. On March 10, 2011, all new and existing Facebook Fan Pages will ...
Thinking Outside the Dishwasher
If you are looking for some ideas on how to use social media to grow your business and connect with new potential customers, today’s ...
Social Media: A Growing Habitat for Humanitarians
How many causes do you follow or support through social media? While I’ve been aware of Habitat for Humanity for years and the great work ...
Reach Out to Your Target Market Like Altimate Medical
I’ve witnessed something Remark!able over the last ten years or so of working with Altimate Medical. As technology and marketing trends ...
Take Advantage of the New Facebook Features for Business
Facebook is at it again! This time the changes Facebook has made to Fan Pages seem to be a step in the right direction for business owners. Never ...
A School District on Facebook? Unheard of, Right?
It’s easy to talk about the benefits of social media and the implications for small businesses, but consider what it means for a school ...
Customizing Facebook for a Remarkable Experience
You’ve heard that hidden and underutilized assets are all around you, right? If you’ve spent the time to build a business page on ...
Social Media’s Role in Raising $10 Million in One Day
In early November 2010, I remember seeing a YouTube video someone posted on Facebook talking about Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day coming ...
A Social Media Story from the Farm
It’s easy to get caught in a mind set that small business often takes the shape of manufacturing, retail, professional services and the ...
You’ve Got To See This
A Daycare to Office Space A few years ago we renovated a daycare building into modern office space and had a vision to incorporate art into the ...
How Does a Whole City Get Google’s Attention?
When Google announced its plan to select at least one city in its “Fiber” initiative, city leaders across the country began to dream ...
Confessions of a Social Media Community Manager
I love my work and what I get to do on behalf of other small businesses and organizations. My official title is a Social Media Manager, also ...
Be Remark!able in Spirit
I come across Remark!able examples of social media use all the time that cause me to pause and take notice. I tend to make a mental note, and as ...
Beware of the Peacock
With social media getting so much attention, it’s easy to get distracted by the pretty peacock who demands your attention. Opposite of the ...
Facebook Changes Again
This past week has introduced some new changes on Facebook, and along with it a few frustrations. I’ve spent some time reviewing the changes and ...
A Local, Small Business Favorite
I want to tell you about one of my favorite local businesses growing up. Maybe you’ve been there too? When I was young, I played softball every ...
What’s In A Link?
Links are everywhere; in our emails, on Facebook, in articles we read online. I would venture to guess that we don’t think much about clicking on ...
Denying Access to Applications on Facebook
If you use Facebook for personal and/or business reasons, you’ve probably been asked to grant “access” to your Facebook account by various ...
Twitter Makes Some Great Improvements
Twitter announced two key enhancements to their social media tool. Here’s our attempt to condense and explain them to you in terms you can ...
How WordPress Keeps Our Writing In Check
Frustrated with the limitations of fonts, colors, sizes and other customizations you’d like to use within WordPress? These limitations are due to ...
Three Photos You Really, Really Want to Have
Take a guess at the answer to the following questions. We promise you won’t be graded. What is the MOST clicked on tweets on Twitter? Where ...
Pull Facebook Out of Your Toolkit As Needed
Three times this past week I have had people come up to me or send me an email asking the exact same question. I’m trying to convince my ...
Each Time I Teach, I Learn
It’s no secret that I have a passion for rural Minnesota and helping small businesses. That is why I love traveling around Minnesota, teaching ...
How Do I Get a Little Picture by My Comment?
The “little picture” you are referring to is called a gravatar. Like the one next to the comment on this blog post (scroll down), a ...
Wordless Wednesday: Philanthropy One Glass at a Time
The kids of Vivid Image staff had their first lemonade stand of the summer at a recent business expo in Hutchinson, MN. They raised $25 for our ...
A Sneak Peak at New Email Marketing Features
Vivid Image and Constant Contact have been teaming up for years to help hundreds of small businesses and organizations harness the power of email ...
Fun with Marketing and the Minnesota Lynx
The Vivid Image team is proud to be working to help promote the Minnesota Lynx sponsored event coming to our town of Hutchinson on May 7th, aimed ...
Time for Spring Cleaning
Today’s WordlessWednesday post is a reminder that even websites and blogs need a weeding of old information, a cleaning away of debris, and ...
Lighting A Fire with Ideas
This is our first Wordless Wednesday post from Vivid Image. Therefore, I hope you’ll forgive me for giving a little explanation into what ...
Why Your Small Business Needs a Facebook Fan Page
Did you know that Facebook gets as much traffic as Google, and some days even more? At Vivid Image we are dedicated to spending hundreds of hours ...
5 Creative Ways to Use Flickr for Business
Flickr may be in cahoots with Yahoo, but a well built Flickr site optimized for search engines and used creatively for marketing will do your ...
Common Facebook Frustrations
I want small businesses to be able to make the most out of Facebook, which means I am always pushing the limits of what Facebook can do. ...
Frustration with Facebook Fan Page Invites
Frustrated lately? If it has to do with your fan page invites, you are not alone! Facebook is growing and changing at unprecedented speed. ...
The Repetitive Social Media Question
“It seems so repetitive, doesn’t it?” It’s a common question I receive when working with people who are new to the social ...
The Three Pitfalls of Business on Facebook
Setting up a fan page on Facebook is a great way to reach people who are passionate about what your business or organization does. However, the ...
5 Tips to Writing Regular Blog Posts
One of the most common concerns small businesses have about starting a blog for their business is the task of writing regular blog posts. Where ...
A Quick Chat About: The Time Honored Tradition of Promo Gadgets and Do-dads
With budgets tight, expenses such as promotional items are bound to be reviewed. To some this would be a tough area to cut, as giving out ...
Dang That Was Great! – Referral Marketing
No one has a problem coming out of a movie or a restaurant and gleefully exclaiming to others about the great quality of the product or ...
Haiti: A People in Need
I recently returned from a nine day trip to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. To spend time in Haiti is like traveling back ...
In the News: Steve Gasser Wins Business Person of the Year
At the 60th Annual Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Banquet on January 31st, Steve Gasser was honored with the 2007 Business Person of the Year ...
Community Connection: Rotary Exchange Program
In just a few short weeks our family will say “good bye” to the first foreign exchange student we have welcomed into our family. Our ...
