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Are you looking to actively use social media at your upcoming tradeshow? Great idea! Here are some tips to help you get the most out of it: Best ...
You’ve probably heard the saying “never stop learning.” Learning is important in all aspects of life. It may be personal, ...
Local search is growing by leaps and bounds day after day. One of the biggest components within local search includes Google listings that are ...
What first started as a hobby has evolved into a growing nurse educator business with 18 employees. NurseTim, Inc.® is a “train the trainer” ...
Nestled in the heart of Glencoe is a refurbished building on the National Register of Historic Places. Known for generations as a school, efforts ...
I’ve previously shared information about how reviews are valuable, and that more and more people are looking at reviews prior to purchasing a ...
It’s time to plan a content strategy for your blog, but where should you start? It’s easy to rattle off a list of random blog topics and ideas! ...
What is Marketing Automation? At its core, Marketing Automation is really all about doing more and better marketing with less effort. How is this ...
VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) is a basic needs organization whose programs include access to healthy foods, social services, ...
Earlier this month, Steve Gasser, President of Vivid Image, presented at the Central Minnesota Social Media Breakfast in Hutchinson, Minnesota. ...
In 2017, the attendees of Social Media Breakfast Central Minnesota had the opportunity to learn many things from the presenters each month. ...
If you run a Facebook page, chances are you have seen this message that Facebook recently began sending to Page Managers, “You have a ...
It’s that time of year again.. all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will soon be approaching. Now is the time to start thinking ...
Do you know how much you spend on marketing each year? If not, now is the time to create a marketing budget and start keeping track of it, so ...
Telamco Inc. was started in 1968 by Phil Telander, and is run today by his daughter Tracy Humann. Telamco, based in Lonsdale, MN, is a provider ...
Social media contests or giveaways can be a great way to generate some excitement about your business, reward customers, and gain new followers ...
We may be your friendly website and digital marketing agency, but that’s not all we do! While we specialize in web development and digital ...
Consistency Builds Trust. Your company brand and marketing is not just about logos and colors. You need your brand to speak a message that ...
How do you create a social media calendar? What percentage of posts should be related to sales? How do you stay on top of events, trends, and ...
Facebook Ads & Google Ads are two different digital marketing platforms. They both provide great avenues of advertising, but have different ...
One of the biggest obstacles to maintaining a blog is finding blog topic ideas to write about. You know that writing content for your readers ...
If you’re using the Remarketing feature with Google Analytics, it’s time to review your Privacy Policy. Starting May 15, 2017, the Google ...
Have you claimed your business or organization listing on Apple Maps? If the answer is no, I recommend getting it claimed and updated. While ...
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 ...
As much as I hate to say it, unless you’re Google, your new site is not the Field of Dreams and just by building it does not guarantee they, your ...
Online reviews are not new, but they are becoming more prominent. This is causing more businesses and customers to pay attention to them. ...
One thing that we do at Vivid Image on a regular basis, is a look at our Google Analytics and what our most popular blog posts are. We’ve ...
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 ...
Remember when you were a kid and you got a new Lego set? It was exciting and awesome. Then you opened it up and found a box of thousands of ...
I find myself writing more and more testimonials every day. Part of my job at Vivid Image entails helping businesses create case studies, success ...
Recently I was lucky enough to speak at the MN Blogger Conference. I was really excited to be picked. Bloggers are an amazing group of people. ...
Every business owner has a limited amount of time to devote to required tasks related to operating and growing a business. It’s imperative ...
You have a website that is crucial to your business. It generates leads, customers and revenue (or at least it should). It’s your digital ...
Last week, marketers, business owners, and social media managers from around the state of Minnesota and beyond came to the Social Media Rockstar ...
15 minutes. 15 minutes. What can you accomplish in 15 minutes? You might organize some files, write a blog post, take a cat nap or walk the dog. ...
Broadcast LIVE for Free using Facebook Live & If This, Than That Have you used or watched a Facebook Live video? They are becoming more and ...
Citations aren’t normally something that people try to obtain in their everyday life. When talking about local search marketing it is a different ...
What is Pokémon Go? As you may have read in Justin’s post earlier this week, Pokémon Go is a reality game app that you can download on Android ...
You probably noticed your local parks and trails seem busier than ever. It is not your imagination; it’s the Pokemon Go fever and it struck ...
The time has come. You need to write a blog post or a new page on the website. You know you should do this more often, but you are not a writer, ...
Are you struggling with content ideas for your July e-newsletter and social media posts? Glancing at your calendar, July may seem like one of the ...
“Email is still powerful,” says Steve Gasser, owner of Vivid Image as he spoke recently to the Social Media Breakfast in Willmar on the topic of ...
Vivid Image is pleased to announce that we have earned our Google Partner Certification. As a Google Partner, Vivid Image has achieved a rigorous ...
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 ...
This morning Christina Mikanowski, Vice-President of Maccabee presented to the Social Media Breakfast Central Minnesota on the topic of Content ...
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 ...
Each year, we take a look back at the most popular blog posts from the Vivid Image blog of the year. Here is a look at the most viewed and most ...
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 ...
If next year’s marketing plan doesn’t feel like it has the ideas or action plan to reach your goals, it’s time to take another look! Here are ...
Earlier this fall I had the pleasure of going to a Content Rules Workshop put on by Marketing Profs. The workshop was based on the book by the ...
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. Does that help? Didn’t think so. Chances are your website uses Google Analytics to track usage and ...
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, ...
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. ...
Keep Spam in the pantry and out of google analytics If you do anything online at any point in your life you will have to deal with spam. Our ...
Instagram has grown in popularity since its inception, and it has some very unique social media aspects. The most interesting thing about ...
There are a few common problems people encounter when curating content for a website, blog, or newsletter. If you already know some type of ...
The dreaded unsubscribe… As email marketers and human beings with feelings we try very hard to be resilient and not let the fact that ...
Tradeshows are a fantastic way of marketing because you can meet your customers and prospects face-to-face to kindle a real relationship. When ...
Do you ever feel like your “blogging tap” has run dry? Or maybe you have a lot of ideas, but no time to write about them? Well, you are not ...
Here at Vivid Image spring is in the air and we are beginning to plant and care for a vegetable garden on our grounds for all staff to enjoy. ...
What does it take to successfully market your business or service? A hefty online marketing budget? A larger marketing staff? Or maybe a boss ...
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 ...
Growing up in the 80’s, Madonna was the center of my pop music world. Her songs truly inspired me to follow my dreams and lifted me up when I was ...
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 ...
If there is one thing that is critical to success with social media, it is using images to engage your audience. Since not everyone has access to ...
Content marketing is creating information that your potential customers will find value in, with the intention of promoting a product or service. ...
Have you ever run an advertising campaign that struggled to get results? If you’re experiencing this, I recommend looking at two ...
It’s so much fun to get together in a room full of passionate creative marketing professionals. I spend so much time reading and studying ...
As someone who works with search engine optimization every day I hear this question quite often, “my website isn’t ranking when I ...
If you haven’t created a Social Media Marketing Plan for your company yet, now is a perfect time to start. Here is a simple method that I use for ...
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 ...
Ok, so they aren’t completely random, but they are loosely related to marketing, web, and social media. However, many people may find these ...
You’ve likely heard that email is far from dead. In fact, it’s part of everyday business life and growing as a means of reliable ...
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 ...
Measuring your marketing efforts has always been an important part of marketing. As a small business measuring your success helps gives you the ...
As a marketer or business owner, Google Alerts are essential – especially for content marketing. Google Alerts is a free Google tool that ...
Email communication in business is a staple. It is our go-to for communicating with both individuals and groups of people. It seems with this ...
Each New Year promises exciting changes, new technologies, and significant shifts in trends. 2014 is shaping up to be a sensational year for ...
It is hard to believe that another year is coming to an end. For many bloggers, it can be a challenge to think of a blog post to write during ...
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 ...
If you’ve been keeping your eyes on the search engine headlines lately you may have noticed the clever, “Bing it on” slogan ...
Calls To Action are critical to help your business reach goals and measure the effectiveness of your online presence. It’s important that ...
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 ...
I have had the opportunity to be involved with many nonprofit organizations and I plan on keeping that way for as long as I possibly can. If ...
Recently I discovered a fun video app called Vine. In a nutshell, it’s a tool that captures live moments in just 6 1/2 seconds. If ...
SEO Is A Complex Topic Recently I was asked to speak at the Social Media Breakfast in Central Minnesota (smbcmn). When I was asked to speak it ...
Often our customers ask us how they can post a social media update in just one place, and have it go to all their social media channels. ...
This is a perfect time of year to host events to attract your existing and potential new customers into your place of business! People ...
With every blog post you publish, there are vast ways to promote it. In a perfectly SEO’d world, the search engines would always find your ...
Most bloggers will tell you one of their biggest challenges is coming up with engaging blog content on a regular basis. If you have plans for ...
I’ve recently spent some focused time contacting a number of clients we’ve served in 2012 with some questions that are simple yet ...
How important is it to shop locally? Does it really make a difference if you support the small business down the road? Living in a small town ...
Creating relevant and useful blog content takes not just a good chunk of time, but also an equal amount of creative effort. But there are some ...
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 ...
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 ...
When a doctor sees a patient, what is the FIRST thing they ask? They want to know, “How you are feeling?” Your answer is their ...
Many nonprofit organizations understand that a strong web presence is vital to their ongoing success. The content they share on their website ...
While website metrics can be extremely complex and go into depth analyzing the smallest of details, most small business website owners just want ...
We’re kicking off this fall with a FULL schedule of opportunities to help you maximize online marketing and learn new ways to grow your ...
Whether you are an entry level or seasoned sales professional, it’s likely you have to make connections with people you have never met ...
When the Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA) was ready to redesign their website, they knew they needed to make a major change, but had no ...
As a professional marketer, I am always talking to small businesses and non-profits about their press release efforts and what works. The ...
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 ...
One fun tool and two productivity tools this week: Monitor Your Business Facebook Page on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad Facebook just released a new ...
The Vivid Image team continually reviews “best practices” within social media, marketing, graphics and technology to help you improve your online ...
Last fall I explained that marketing is like a great chili recipe. There are components that blend together to create something more than the ...
In Minnesota, the name “Runnings” used to make us think of a farm store. But that perception is evolving, just like their name and marketing. ...
Sometimes it is hard to get a project going. One of those projects might be a marketing or advertising campaign. When you are stuck figuring out ...
Did you ever have to explain what marketing is? drills it down simply in Vimm’s first vlog (video+blog) post. What is Marketing Vlog
I don’t know about you, but it seems like 2011 just flew by. Before I knew it, it was October and I started planning for 2012 (don’t ...
Naturally, this is the most common time for reviewing the last year and looking towards the next year for goal setting or “New Year ...
As 2011 winds down this week, time is elastic as my plans for 2012 are in full swing. Here’s what we are planning for Vivid Image clients: ...
Making pottery may sound like a hobby, but for Tom and Betsy it is their business and passion. Between them and another potter, they produce ...
I am in the holiday mood, so here’s a “themed blog post”. Enjoy! On the 12th Day of Christmas, Vivid Image gave to me: 12 Monthly Newsletters 11 ...
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Seasons Greetings! Happy New Year! There are lots of ways to say “Merry Christmas” to your customers and ...
‘Tis the season for Tradeshows: Ok, maybe not, but I used to work in an industry where the first tradeshow of the year was during the ...
Training is so vital to learning new skills. Most members in the military spend at least 8 weeks in isolation in Basic Training, then they get ...
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 ...
Press Releases broadcast your organizations’ news and optimizes it for all media channels. Basic Marketing. Present it as a story that has ...
Growing up, I heard the word ‘survey’ a lot during one of my favorite game shows, TheFamily Feud. This game show can get a bit rowdy ...
Often running a small company or start-up business means you have to market your products or services on a smaller budget for longer than you ...
MVTV Wireless Connects with Rural Customers via Social Media Website: http://www.mvtvwireless.com/ Sometimes it seems like rural Minnesota is the ...
Working with social media and marketing, I try out and sample different plans, campaigns, social media platforms, tools and give recommendations ...
Johnny Cash’s song, San Quentin, begins, “I think I understand a little bit about how you [the inmates] feel about some things, ...
As a marketer for the last 13+ years, I have done lots of types of marketing in lots of different industries. Some programs are industry specific ...
How are you introducing your organization to the world? Through networking? A brochure? A website? There are 3 main components of introducing ...
Litchfield Chamber of Commerce Website is Hub for Members Website: www.litch.com The Litchfield Area Chamber of Commerce is an organization of ...
After getting over the initial shock and sadness of hearing about the death of Steve Jobs, I am trying to figure out how to describe the impact ...
What do Marty McFly, Bill and Ted and Claire Randall have in common? They travel through time. They work to try and change events in the past, ...
Website turns big dreams into small business for Heirlooms Website: www.HeirloomsTea.com Facebook: Heirlooms Tea Room on Facebook Written by ...
“So much to do in so little time.” I am sure most of you think this occassionally when you are working. I do. In the best interest ...
Today’s Monday morning Remark!able post features an organization from rural Minnesota that is using social media to flush out a perfect, ...
Larson Builders Using Social Media Tools for Web Success Website: www.larsonbuilders.com Facebook: Larson Builders on Facebook The Larson Family ...
From make-up artists to lawyers and doctors there is a variety of skill sets in each one of these professions. In marketing and web design there ...
Any experienced sales person knows that they have to “ask for the sale”. But for those of us who are not in sales, this concept is a little bit ...
I am not writing about desserts today or post-it notes. Nope, not writing about fair food, either (even though I may go to the Great Minnesota ...
As some of you know, I was in the promotional products industry for part of my career. I used to travel to multiple tradeshows and see what was ...
Did you learn about the 4 P’s of Marketing when you started in business? Usually taught during the first week or two of every general ...
Writing reviews for businesses or providing them valuable feedback is not a new concept. We’ve seen “suggestion” boxes on the ...
I recently received a “Save the Date” type sign up to attend a Twins game on behalf of an alumni organization. The subject line and the body of ...
As a small town girl almost all my life, I am used to wide open spaces, corn fields, and black dirt. But it is no wonder, that when people come ...
“You’re blogging about email signatures? Isn’t that so…1996?” Well, apparently some global (and local) ...
The great thing about marketing and online media is that there is something new out there every week, to be discussed or to learn about. The not ...
Last week was my summer vacation. It was awesome. I published a blog post, responded to urgent work emails and kept up with some of the marketing ...
Even if you have a rocking website, you may want to consider driving some targeted web traffic to a landing page instead of always to your ...
It’s the 4th of July week! Do you have attention-getting sparkle on your site? Or is your content a dud? Some companies excel online and ...
Social applications can make a marketer’s job easier! By automating some things, and enhancing others, the right apps can make the customer ...
So a few months ago, I discovered Klout. Klout is an online tool to measure your influence across 3 social platforms–Twitter, Facebook and ...
Is search engine optimization still important? SEO, as it is commonly referred to, is still a critical component to those who rely heavily on ...
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “There’s an App for Everything”. What does this mean and is it really true? App stands for application which ...
Did you know that the Banking industry is the #3 most active industry that uses social media falling behind only Search Engine Portals and ...
Last week’s post was the part 1 of a 2 part post, 13 Marketing Lessons Learned in 13 years. Have you started your social media summer ...
Marketers need to be awesome writers in order to get their message communicated. Whether you are doing traditional marketing like print brochures ...
Before you start reading this week’s post, have you started your homework from last week? If not, read this post, then start working on ...
Many companies, both large and small, in both the metro and rural communities, are seeing the far-reaching positive effects of social media for ...
For the last few weeks I have been writing about recycling your print content and making your existing marketing material work for you, ...
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 ...
One of the long time members of the VI Community, Clay Coyote, has a couple of great opportunities the next two weekends in June to enjoy. I ...
While watching a rerun of The Dukes of Hazzard, a popular ’70’s tv show, I noticed the use of CB radios were everywhere. A way to ...
1. Make sure your website is on all your online and offline marketing materials. Check it off! On your letterhead In your email signature ...
A native of Litchfield, MN, I have been a long time patient of Affiliated Community Medical Centers and have received fantastic care from several ...
We all know recycling is good for the earth, right? We use our resources wisely and create less waste. Content Marketing should be treated in a ...
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 ...
It’s National Small Business Week-a client base we love to work with to make an impact! Beth, Steve and I have blogged about social ...
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 ...
I’m very passionate about what is happening in our world of healthcare, especially when it comes to the care and services available close ...
Last week I participated in a webinar put on by HubSpot focused on the topic of Social Media Metrics – in other words, measuring actual ...
In elementary school, there were reading comprehension questions at the end of every story. Why or Why Not? I recently realized I assume ...
Last week, an event happened that most organizations and sales managers need to learn from. While it hasn’t affected me personally, it has ...
This is a guest blog article from Sean D’Souza. I had the privilege of meeting and working with Sean several years ago at a conference he ...
How many of you eagerly await for the smell of fresh cut grass, a warm summer breeze and the crack of a bat? I do and Target Field has been open ...
Today’s Remark!able blog post is directed at some of the smaller, social media initiatives I’ve seen businesses using lately. We ...
Not sure how many of you have heard of Surly Beer–craft brews are a little more difficult to seek out in rural Minnesota, but craft brewers ...
Percentages, fractions, and averages, oh my! These mathematical fields are vital components to real-world marketing and corporate promotion ...
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 ...
This week I had a conversation with one of our long term VI Community members, Terry Kempfert. Terry considers herself to be a businesswomen ...
It’s National Ag Day! As a proud farmer’s daughter, I love seeing how much agriculture has embraced technology and how the industry ...
There were five articles this week that really captured my attention. Have you started using Quora yet? I signed up a few months ago and I am ...
In MN, we are extremely lucky to have great healthcare access close to home in several of our rural communities. You don’t have to drive ...
If your organization or brand could talk, it would speak in a tone of voice to reach, entertain, compel and engage your readers. It might speak ...
Today’s post is yet another remark!able story to share about what’s happening in the VI Community. In partnership with the Southwest ...
After recently reviewing some great posts on website content, I realized that Content Marketing is like gold mining–finding the little ...
One of the email messages I receive during my workday that always puts a smile on my face is when I receive the announcement from one of our ...
To stimulate blog post ideas, I use the calendar. February is the perfect time to show clients you care when you write. It is time to use ...
I was sent even more articles this past week from all of you. Here are three post that I found insightful: There were two posts about Facebook ...
If I see an intriguing video clip posted on a friend’s Facebook status or on a page of a website I’m checking out, I’m more ...
I started thinking about this post over a week ago, but I was a little surprised when I got my first Super Bowl ad review 4 days before the ad ...
Each week I am sent hundreds of blog articles on topics from social media, leadership, sales, customer services, and more. I wanted to share ...
As a graphic designer, there are various topics I could cover as it relates to design. But why not just keep it simple? If I could get as basic ...
This is the last in a series of three VI Community blog posts, where clients have offered to share their social networking stories with you and ...
I have been so busy working with clients and other things that I almost forgot to tell you about a really good Social Media story that happened ...
I am pleased to bring you the second in a series of three VI Community blog posts, where clients have offered to share their social networking ...
Your potential customers don’t have the time to sift through your business jargon. That’s where you come in…ta da! ...
Wow! After interviewing just a few of our clients this week, I’m even more energized to share this message. If you are not embracing ...
There is no time left to wait with your marketing. Yep, no time. Like Jack Bauer, from the television show 24, you need a short phrase ...
What’s on your mind? Write in to “Dear Vivid Image,” and you’ll find a response right here on this Thursday blog spot ...
As I was pondering my Tuesday blog post, I got an email from a reader and they were discussing the new Starbucks Logo. Later that afternoon, I ...
One of Vivid Image’s New Year’s resolutions is to help our clients engage and connect with each other more than ever before. We know ...
It’s that time of year, people are inside; settled in on their couches or at their computer screens most of the day. Sunshine seems to be an ...
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 ...
As a marketer for 13 years, and a mom for 5, I have learned a lot by experience. Many of the same basic principles apply to both my titles, as ...
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 ...
Vivid Image and Constant Contact have been teaming up for years to help hundreds of small businesses and organizations harness the power of email ...
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 ...
This is our first Wordless Wednesday post from Vivid Image. Therefore, I hope you’ll forgive me for giving a little explanation into what ...
Vivid Image Graphic/Web Designer, Ryan Villnow won first place in the demolition derby at the McLeod County Fair in Hutchinson, MN.
How one little lemonade stand is making a difference for our kids and our community.
Are your competitors capitalizing on social marketing yet?
Presented by Steve Gasser - September 29th 11am - 12pm
It’s a brisk 23 degrees out, the geese are flying over head, the sound of rocks getting dumped in the river echoes about, and the office ...
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 ...
At the 60th Annual Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Banquet on January 31st, Steve Gasser was honored with the 2007 Business Person of the Year ...
Client: Thimbleberries Website: www.thimbleberries.com Vivid Image is pleased to announce that we have been selected for the W3 2007 Silver Award ...
