Sell More Online with Great Product Photos

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words and when it comes to e-commerce sites, pictures can definitely help drive sales. Photography can show how a product works, demonstrate its exciting features and above all, influence people to make a purchase. Below explains some of the different ways high quality photography can help make you sales.

1. Shows Product Benefits

People tend to have certain expectations about products. For example, most vacuums are shaped to look relatively the same. The photographs on the Dyson website show how their vacuums are different and innovative. A good photograph can show the differences in your product that make it better.

2. Show Details

Describing a product on your website is important. Backing that description up with detailed photographs can help make the sale. Because you can’t physically pick up an online product, it’s important to have photos to go along with your product description so people can see what is being described to them. The more you can show the better chance you have of making a sale.

3. Show the product in use

Without photos, explaining how a product works can be a real challenge. Photos allow you to show your buyers instead of trying to tell them.

4. Show Accessories

A popular trend on e-commerce websites is to show the items that people purchased along with the something else. Photos can help sell other accessories that go along with products, which can help drive your online sales up even more.


Giving your customers a visual representation of your products will make them feel more comfortable about what they are purchasing. Professional photography does more than just make your product look good, it helps close sales. If you are looking for more information on professional photography, please click here or contact us.

Small Business Spotlight: Holiday Inn Harbourside

This weeks Small Business Spotlight is on Holiday Inn Harbourside. This hotel is located on Indian Rocks Beach in Florida and is owned by Decade Properties, who also owns the Clearwater Beach Holiday Inn and Chart House Suites ACF redesigned their hotel website and currently provides IT and wireless internet services to them. You can view the Holiday Inn Harbourside website here.

What does your company do, and where can we go for more information?
We are a full service resort and conference center. You can visit our website for a great hotel overview.

How long has your company been in business?
We have been a Holiday Inn for 15 years now!

What is the most exciting part of your business?
We get to work with tourists and help guests enjoy their stay on Indian Rocks Beach daily.

What methods do you use to communicate with your clients and prospects?
Email blasts, phone, fax, personal visits.

What are your biggest obstacles?
Currently, the economy and the threat of the oil spill are really hurting tourism in general.

What sets your company apart from others in your industry?
We offer so much more with 2 pools, 3 outdoor bars, nightly entertainment, game room, fitness center and 18 hole Putt-Putt course.

What have you found to be your most effective marketing effort?
The internet based third party websites.

How are you using social media to promote your business?
We are on facebook and twitter.

How has technology benefited your business?
People shop online now and look for the best value for their buck!

What is your goal for the next 5 and 10 years?
We want to increase our leisure business and local corporate base.

List a special offer and/or closing statement here:
For any ACF clients we will offer rates of $79 for an islander guest room with two-queen beds - valid now-December 2010.

Remember to upgrade your backup process!

According to the IDC report “The Digital Universe Decade”, the amount of digital information that will be created in 2010 is 1.2 Zettabytes. That’s a lot of information to save! How you save your information is just as important as backing it up. Using outdated backup methods can be just as bad as not saving your information. The more digital information we produce, the more we are going to have to back up.

Even though there’s been a great increase in technology, a lot of businesses are still using old, outdated methods to back up their data. According to a Gartner report, 71% of tape backups fail, yet tons of businesses still use them. Tape backups mainly fail because companies don’t have a way to get the information off the tape. A lot of companies upgrade their equipment while still using the old tape method of backup, eliminating their ability to restore information. Without the ability to restore lost data, a tape backup is useless.

Remember, backups are only done to prevent from data loss. If you are backing up your data to something that you can’t retrieve it from, why back up at all? When doing a technology upgrade, always think about the effect that it will have on backing up your data. Along with your other upgrades, always be sure that your backup process stays up to date.

ACF strongly recommends remote backup. It’s offsite, easy to restore from and is the most up to date backup system you can get. Don’t wait to see if your data falls into the 71% of backups that fail. Make sure your back up process is upgraded too!

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Small Business Spotlight: Golf Range Netting

This weeks Small Business Spotlight is on Golf Range Netting. Golf Range Netting designs and installs custom netting for sports fields, landfills, and driving ranges. ACF designed Golf Range's Netting's website and provides them with SEO.

Visit their website at www.golfrangenetting.com.

What does your company do, and where can we go for more information?
Golf Range Netting is the leader in the design and installation of golf driving ranges. We are a turnkey installation and sub none of our work out. We also design and build the lighting for all applications: 9-hole golf course to the driving range. We are also the leaders in the sports application for netting and poles.

How long has your company been in business?
Golf Range Netting has been in business for over 10 years with a combine experience in the netting installation of over 63 years.

What is the most exciting part of your business?
The most exciting part of our business it the variety of states we install in. The many clients we work with and our repeat business with our clients.

What methods do you use to communicate with your clients and prospects?
Our best way of communication is the World Wide Web, emails and also visiting each site to meet with new clients.

What are your biggest obstacles?
Our biggest obstacles would be the weather. Since we are in the construction business, that is one area we cannot control or avoid. But we do work the best in the colder weather when the ground is frozen. This allows us to use the equipment on the turf or ground and not do any damage to it.

What sets your company apart from others in your industry?
We are set apart from other companies simply because we are on top of our work, we stand by our work, and we have fast turnaround times.

What have you found to be your most effective marketing effort?
Our best marketing effort is keeping up to date with our website. The Internet is the best place for our clients to find us.

How are you using social media to promote your business?
We are not using social media at this time.

How has technology benefited your business?
Technology has definitely benefited our business in terms of reaching more people at a faster rate.

What is your goal for the next 5 and 10 years?
Next 5 to 10 years...We expect to be or have installed one of the most amazing structures in the New York area.

Golf Range Netting is family owned and operated. We take pride in our work and communication with our clients. We value them and hope we can always be there for them.


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A Sincere Thank You is Well Worth It

Extending a sincere "Thank You" can go a long way. It seems like nowadays few people express appreciation, so a sincere "thanks" can give you a competitive advantage. A Lennox etiquette poll found that nearly 5 out of every 10 people don’t always say thanks. Doing so can go a long way toward building relationships that turn into business opportunities.

There are many different ways to say thanks. Below are 4 different methods that you can use to help extend your appreciation.

1. Send a Handwritten Note
Think about the last time you received a thank you card. This friendly gesture that used to be rather commonplace doesn’t seem to happen as much anymore. Thank you notes are simple and quick, yet tend to get noticed. Your cards don’t have to be fancy and the message can be simple, just make sure it is handwritten and sincere.

2. Get Creative With Gifts
Another way to thank customers and get them to remember you is through creative gifts. Depending on your business, you can send a variety of different gifts that have your company logo attached. Don’t be afraid to get creative and have a little fun! Along with a thank you card, a small gift can really pack a memorable punch!

3. Thank your Employees
According to a recent nationwide Maritz poll, 55% of employees say that their bosses thank them seldom, occasionally, or never. Showing you appreciate the work your employees do creates a more loyal staff which increases productivity, employee’s satisfaction, and overall company morale. Buy your employees lunch, have a company sponsored outing, or just simply say “Great Job!” every now and then. Little things go a long way!

4. Thank People that Have Complaints
It’s impossible to always please everyone. Eventually, you are going to come across a customer with a complaint. Research indicates that a majority of people don’t complain, but instead will take their business somewhere else. As a business owner, it is important to thank the people with complaints too. These people want to be acknowledged and made to feel like their issue is being heard, so make sure you respond to them by saying thank you for bringing the issues they have to your attention. Their complaints will allow to better focus on company problems which will help you produce a better product or service.

A sincere thank you goes a long way. Make sure your customers and employees know they are valued an appreciated. Simple gestures like sending thank you cards, small gifts, or just simply saying “thanks” can go a long way. By showing your appreciation, you’ll be on your way to making long lasting business relationships!

What are some ways that your company says “Thanks”? Share them below!

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