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

How to Ensure Clients Stick to Your Project Schedule

How to Ensure Clients Stick to Your Project Schedule

Suzie reached out to you in a panic on Monday. 

She needed her new website up and running yesterday, and she’s hoping you’ll take her project on right away.

Being the nice person that you are, you agree. You set up a general timeframe and hit the ground running.

But it isn’t long before Suzie starts running the show. She’s unhappy with the concepts you’ve shared with her and although you agreed to a few revisions at the outset of the project, you’ve made exceptions to keep her happy. 

Not only is this situation frustrating, but it’s put you behind on your other client projects. Stress creeps in. Both you and Suzie are irritated with the process, and you can’t wait for the project to end.

If this situation becomes a trend in your service-based business, you won’t last long. 

But here’s the good news: This awful situation could’ve been prevented. 

The most common question I receive about my 2-week design process is, by far, “How do you ensure that clients stick to your project schedule?”

The simple answer? Setting boundaries and managing expectations. 

But here’s a more detailed explanation of what that looks like from start to finish in my client process.

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Ellechat Recap: 3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Brand Photos with Brit Chandler

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Ellechat Recap: 3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Brand Photos with Brit Chandler

Let me let you in on a little branding secret.

You can spend tons of time designing a beautiful logo.
You can choose the best color palette, fonts and patterns.
You can even pull out all the stops creating an eye-catching website.

But if your photos are amateur and inconsistent, every collateral item and page of your website will fall short. 

The same is true for your blog posts, promotional items and social media accounts.

Great photos not only elevate a brand, but they make it appear professional and build recognition with your audience. 

How I Manage Business Tasks with Asana

How I Manage Business Tasks with Asana

What’s multifaceted, time-sensitive and continually adds tasks to your never-ending to-do list?

A creative small business.

Everywhere you turn there’s a project to finish, an email to reply to, a blog post to write. You have to wear multiple hats while keeping a million plates spinning. It’s like a circus act.

But you know that already.

You also know that if you don’t have a system for keeping up with all those tasks and hats and plates, things can quickly get out of hand. 

Projects fall behind. Deadlines get missed. Stress and panic sets in. And before you know it you’re a hot mess, questioning why you started a business in the first place. 

That’s why I’m all about creating workflows. 

Blame it on my type-A personality, but I can’t function if I don’t have a system in place for tasks like design projects, blog posts, Ellechats and coaching calls. 

Doing something the same way every time has helped me set expectations, work more efficiently and ultimately stay on top of all the neverending business tasks. 

I’m a big fan of using Trello to outline my workflows and create timelines (I included an example in this post and hosted an Ellechat webinar on it here), but Trello isn’t the best platform for keeping up with multiple workflows at once.

That’s where Asana comes in.

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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.