Business, Blogging
Lauren Hooker
40 Ways to Use Adobe Illustrator to Improve ...

Adobe Illustrator is my go-to software for anything and everything design-related. It's the one program I truly couldn't work without.

And while it's easy to assume that the program's primary focus is illustration based on the name, there is so much more to this design software. 

With tools for type, color, photo cropping, image tracing, drawing, and much more, it has innumerable benefits for bloggers and business owners, alike.

To get your creative gears turning, here's a look at 40 ways Adobe Illustrator can take your blog and/or business to the next level.

40 Ways to Use Adobe Illustrator to Improve Your Blog and Business
Blogging, Business, Branding, Design
Lauren Hooker
How to Create Eye-Catching Blog Post Graphics

First impressions are crucial, especially in business.

Potential customers and clients make judgments about your business within the first few seconds of coming into contact with it, whether it’s through your website, your social media accounts, or a simple blog post graphic.

And those initial thoughts - whether they’re spot on or far off from what you want them to be - are within your control. You have the opportunity to make a killer first impression through high-quality, branded visuals.

If your blog is a large part of your business or you’re hoping to drive more traffic back to your site through your blog, you have to have eye-catching blog graphics to not only generate a positive first impression, but to encourage readers to share your posts on sites like Pinterest and be seen by an even wider audience.

So how do you create eye-catching blog post graphics? And better yet, how can you set them apart so they’ll stand out from the rest and be recognized time and time again?

How to Create Eye-Catching Blog Post Graphics
Business, Visual Marketing
Lauren Hooker
40 Easy, Engaging Video Content Ideas for Your ...

“When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for 5 days.” - Michael Scott

Video platforms like YouTube (and more recently, Periscope) are easily the world’s greatest time-wasters. We’ve all been guilty of losing track of time on YouTube at least once, because videos are easily consumable, very addicting, and highly entertaining.

As a matter of fact, studies show that a whopping 78% of us watch videos online every week and 55% watch videos online every day.

Which is why Youtube is also the world’s greatest overnight-success-maker. If you’re on the production-side of a video and you’ve come up with a clever idea, you might just have a viral hit on your hands.

Video holds a lot of potential for interaction, engagement, and shares for creative businesses. And for that reason, it’s one of the best visual marketing tools you can use.

But it producing videos can be a little overwhelming, can’t it? Even with helpful video tools out there like Animoto, many of us struggle to come up with simple ideas for video content that would appeal to our audience. 

And that’s where this post comes in. I’ve rounded up 40 easy, engaging video content ideas to help get your creative gears turning. My hope is that you’ll find a few ideas to implement and as a result, bring your business more exposure.

40 Easy, Engaging Video Content Ideas for Your Creative Business
Business, Visual Marketing
Lauren Hooker
Why You Should Be Using Infographics for Your ...

If you’re looking for a good way to kill at least an hour of your time, type in the word “infographic” in the Pinterest search bar.

Thousands of clever graphics will pop up on everything from “how to make a salad taste awesome” to a baby’s first year in a review. There’s even an infographic that answers the pressing question, “Is your dog sleeping a little too much?”

Then, after you’ve admired the genius creativity behind them, take a gander at how many repins and likes each of those infographics receives. Thousands upon thousands.

In fact, infographic volumes have increased by over 800% in 2 years. Publishers who use infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t. 

What is it about infographics that makes them so appealing? And better yet, how can you come up with some clever infographics for your business so it gains more exposure through likes and shares?

I have all the answers for you in this post.

Why You Should Be Using Infographics for Your Business (And How to Create Them)
Blogging
Lauren Hooker
How to Create Catchy Headlines

Is your headline the first thing you consider when you sit down to write a post?

Probably not, but creating a catchy blog post title is one of the most important aspects of each blog post. It's the gateway to your content; it convinces people to click or scroll right past your latest post'. 

In fact, studies show that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 will read your entire post. 

Here are a few pointers for drawing in potential readers and a couple "templates" to help you create a catchy headline for your upcoming posts. 

How to Create Catchy Headlines

Blogging

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21 High Quality Blog Post Ideas for Product-Based Businesses

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21 High Quality Blog Post Ideas for Product-Based Businesses

In order for people to buy from you, they have to trust you.

And one of the best ways to build trust among potential customers is through blogging. 

Blogging allows you to share your expertise, highlight testimonials and success stories, give insight into your process, answer commonly asked questions, and more. 

But one of the biggest blogging hangups for business owners - especially those who run product-based businesses - is figuring out what to write about and coming up with high-quality blog post ideas.

Can you relate? 

If so, I’ve got you covered. 

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12 Simple Reasons Businesses Desperately Need to Blog

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12 Simple Reasons Businesses Desperately Need to Blog

People are always shocked when I tell them the primary reason my business grew quickly.

It wasn’t pouring all of my time and effort into curating a visually pleasing Instagram feed.
It wasn’t going to conferences and networking with the big shots.
And it definitely wasn’t through some big break.

“How else did you grow your business?” they ask me. 

Few people want to believe that apart from blogging, my business would’ve failed soon after it started.

And they definitely don’t want to give it a go and make it work for their own businesses.

Maybe it’s because they don’t know how to use their blog.
Maybe they just don’t want to spend the time writing and growing their blog. 

But I think the real problem lies with not being aware of the countless benefits that blogging can have for a business.

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How to Use Asana Boards to Plan Your Content Calendar

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How to Use Asana Boards to Plan Your Content Calendar

Content creation is at the heart of Elle & Company. 

Between blog posts, weekly newsletters, Ellechats, and Library additions, I spend a large majority of my work week not only creating content, but keeping up with the tasks that come along with it (like editing, scheduling, and promoting). 

In the past, I’ve used several different methods to organize my content and keep up with these tasks. I’ve tried mapping it out in Google Calendar. I’ve set up Trello boards. I’ve created Asana tasks.

But I couldn’t seem to find an all-in-one system that allowed me to visually organize my upcoming content and keep up with all the tasks involved. 

That is, until a month or two ago when Asana upped their game and began offering boards that look and function almost exactly like Trello boards. 

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Ellechat Recap: 11 Clever Ways to Use Affiliate Links with Justine Grey

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Ellechat Recap: 11 Clever Ways to Use Affiliate Links with Justine Grey

What’s free, easy, and can make you money in your sleep?

Affiliate marketing.

I know, it sounds kind of complicated and possibly even a little boring.

For some of you, it might conjure up images of salesy Instagram posts or sponsored blog articles.

For others, affiliate marketing may have lost its luster because you don’t know how to utilize your links.

And for the rest of you, you’re probably wondering what in the world affiliate marketing is in the first place.

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30 Desirable Content Upgrade Ideas

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30 Desirable Content Upgrade Ideas

So you started a mailing list. 

You heard about the benefits, chose a platform, and you have a general idea of what you’re going to send out to your subscribers. You even placed your opt-ins in prominent places.

The trouble is…. no one is subscribing. 

If this sounds all too familiar, I have one question for you: Why should someone sign up for your list? 

Because the truth is that you could have the best newsletter content and the most prominent opt-ins and still have trouble gaining subscribers. 

Website visitors often need a little more coaxing to sign up for your list. And that’s where content upgrades come in.