Professional Stock ImagesCompanies can spend a lot of money on professional images for their website, brochures, and digital marketing activities. If you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you get thousands of professional stock photos to use at no extra cost!
Databases of Facts & Figures in ExcelThere’s a feature in Excel that is tucked away on the Data tab called Data Types. This feature can save you a lot of research time and associated costs by connecting you to databases filled with information on nearly 20 different core information areas (medical, terrain, foods, plants, locations, etc.). For example, say that you need to come up with a menu that includes nutritional information for all the dishes. This could mean hours of searching online separately for details on calories, cholesterol, etc. for each food. Then, you have to copy/paste or retype that information into your spreadsheet for calculations. When you use Data Types, you can simply enter your list of foods (lemon, butter, salmon, etc.) then classify those as the data type “Foods.” Once you do that, you are linked to a database of all types of facts about foods. Click the fact you want, and for each food, the fact will automatically populate into your spreadsheet.
Type your data into a column and highlight it.
Click the Data tab.
From the Data Types window, choose your data type (there are several to choose from).
This converts your data into a “data type.”
Highlight your data and click the database icon that appears at the top.
Choose the information you want, and it will populate into the next open column on the right.
Cut-Out PeopleWithin the free stock photos area of Microsoft 365, you’ll find a section that includes cut-out people. These are high-quality graphics of people in all types of positions. You can find businesspeople, families, and a diverse set of human beings of all ages, types, and cultures. You’ll also find them in different positions:
Standing
Sitting
Reaching
Holding a mobile device
And moreUsing this freebie, you can create more professional-looking marketing and concept materials and overlay one of the cut-out people with your products.
Videos ClipsVideo clips are another asset that many websites need, but they can be expensive to purchase. Videos can bring a website or digital marketing campaign to life and drive more leads. 54% of consumers say they want to see more video content from companies they support. From inside Word or PowerPoint, click on Insert > Pictures > Stock Images > Videos. You’ll find multiple video clips that you can use, all at no additional cost (they come free with your M365 subscription!). You can hover over them in the preview pane to play them before choosing which one you want.
Grammar EditorIf you’re paying for a subscription to a grammar editor and have Microsoft 365, then you may want to check out Editor in Word. It’s a built-in grammar editor that does much more than just correct spelling or punctuation. You’ll see it at the far right of the Home tab, and when you open it, you get several suggestions for improving your content. These include recommendations for:
Clarity
Conciseness
Formality
Punctuation Conventions
VocabularyIf you use Outlook.com, you’ll also see Editor included there to help with writing professional emails.