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

Business

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The Ultimate Icon Dictionary for Creative Entrepreneurs

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The Ultimate Icon Dictionary for Creative Entrepreneurs

Icons are a great way to convey a message quickly and add character to a brand. 

They reinforce ideas, they’re more attention-grabbing and engaging, and they can help you differentiate your business from others in your industry.

Between our recent site updates and the Ellechat on custom icons a month or two ago, icons have been a popular subject around here. But I’ve seen that most people have trouble coming up with icon ideas and creating them.

So I considered the terms that are used most often by creative entrepreneurs and created an icon set for you. 

One Helpful Tool for Onboarding New Clients and Employees

One Helpful Tool for Onboarding New Clients and Employees

Earlier this year I crossed off a fairly large goal of mine and brought on a part-time assistant. 

It’s been extremely helpful to have Jenny on board to take care of the business tasks that don’t require my “touch” (blog post setup, social media scheduling) and spend more time on the things that do (content creation, client work, coaching).

But it wasn’t until I started training Jenny that I began to take note of all the different tools, platforms, and software I use on a daily basis - MailChimp, Crowdcast, Squarespace, QuickBooks, Buffer, Trello, Asana, Adobe Illustrator, to name a few.

And as simple as many of those platforms are, there’s always a little bit of a learning curve involved with them. Each person also uses these online tools a little differently.

Jenny and I tried to schedule times to Skype so I could share my screen with her and walk her through how I use each of those programs, but our busy schedules often made it difficult.

And that’s when I came up with a simple, time-saving solution for onboarding both employees and clients...

How to Stand Apart in an Oversaturated Industry

How to Stand Apart in an Oversaturated Industry

Class critiques always went something like this for me:

I would stumble into class right on time, coffee in hand and bleary-eyed from a late night of making tweaks to a design project. I’d pin my draft to the critique board, look around at the concepts everyone else had come up with, and feel pretty good about what I created.

But then Kyle would stroll in 15 minutes late, fresh as a daisy. He would pull his concept out of his bag and nonchalantly pin it to the board as I held my breath and sank a little lower in my seat.

His concept and execution was perfect. He nailed it - yet again - and put us all to shame, receiving raving reviews from our professor while the rest of us got “constructive criticism.” 

And I couldn’t help but take notice. 

I wanted the positive affirmation from my professors. I wanted everyone else in my class to look at my work the same way they looked at Kyle’s. I wanted to stand apart and get noticed.

So I tried to mimic his style.

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50 More No-Fluff, Content-Rich Blog Post Ideas

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50 More No-Fluff, Content-Rich Blog Post Ideas

Blogging consistently is a challenge for most creative business owners. 

It’s difficult to find the time to sit down and write content-rich posts, especially with countless projects and administrative tasks to take care of. But sometimes it’s even more difficult to come up with things to write about.

So a year and a half ago I came up with 50 no-fluff, content-rich blog post ideas and shared them on the blog.

That post has received the most shares, comments, and pageviews out of hundreds of Elle & Company articles. 

I’ve continued to learn about blogging and content marketing in the 16 months since writing that post, so I thought it was about time for an update. 

I’ve added and refined that list to bring you 50 more no-fluff, content-rich blog post ideas.

Go ahead and bookmark this post or pin it - you’ll want to come back to it later.

But I’m warning you... After looking over this list, you’ll never be able to use the, “I don’t have anything to write about,” excuse ever again!

5 Tips for Improving Client Communication

5 Tips for Improving Client Communication

Whenever another designer reads or hears about my 2-week design process, one question inevitably pops up.

How do you get your clients to finish their homework or provide feedback in time?

It all boils down to communication. 

Poor communication can ruin client timelines, client relationships, and the overall client experience. But great communication keeps your process running like a well-oiled machine and keeps everyone happy.

And this is true for any service-based business; not just graphic designers.

So today I’m not only going into more detail on how I get my clients to return their homework in time; I’m sharing 5 helpful tips for how you can improve your client communication on all fronts.