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

Want to Consistently Keep Your Inbox at Zero? Here's My System

Want to Consistently Keep Your Inbox at Zero? Here's My System

Trying to keep up with my inbox has always felt like running a race with no finish-line in sight.

I receive emails throughout my day that I’m not always able to act on, the emails pile up in my inbox, and then my inbox starts to stress me out so I put off the task of tackling it until later. 

When I do finally get around to answering all the emails, I have some momentary relief…

...until the email replies start flooding in. And then the cycle starts all over again.

I’ve tried some email tricks here and there and even shared them on my blog and in my newsletter from time to time, but I never came up with a system that truly worked.

Until this past month.

One of my 2017 goals was to stop whining about my inbox and come up with a system that allows me to stay on top of emails and stop stressing about them.

With the help of a great productivity book and some organization, I’ve been able to keep my inbox at zero for the past three weeks and I feel completely confident that I can keep it up. 

This new email system has been revolutionary for my workdays and has given me so much peace of mind. 

So in typical Elle & Company fashion, I’m sharing it with you to help you conquer your inbox once and for all.

Tracking Your Work Week with Toggl

Tracking Your Work Week with Toggl

Do you know exactly how many hours you’re spending on business tasks throughout your workweek?

Guesswork doesn’t count. Do you have the actual data?

For the first two and a half years of my business, I didn’t. I made a habit of loosely managing my time and jumping around from task to task. 

But if you had asked me, I would have told you that I was spending the right amount of time on each area of my business. I truly thought I had a good handle on my time...

...until I conducted a time audit last fall. 

Using Toggl, I tracked the amount of time I was spending on emails, blog posts, client work, etc. and man, were my guesses way off. 

It was eye-opening to see how much time I was spending on emails and menial tasks instead of making headway on client work and other big projects. 

No wonder I wasn’t making quicker progress toward my goals! I was spending too much time on the wrong things.

Time tracking with Toggl has allowed me to take an objective look at my work week and spend more time on my most important business tasks.

This topic keeps coming up in conversation and I mentioned Toggl several times in last week’s Ellechat. 

So I’m taking you behind my screen in this blog post to highlight the benefits of time tracking and show you exactly how to use Toggl for your business.

Effectively Scheduling Your Work Week

Effectively Scheduling Your Work Week

I started my business as a side-gig. 

I was unhappy with my regular 9 to 5 design job and every time I thought of working for myself, grand images of working from home, no commute, working with my ideal clients, and no grouchy boss quickly came to mind. 

Each day I would sit in my cubicle, dreaming about the freedom that came from having my own business.

But once I actually made the leap to full-time entrepreneurship, that new freedom came with it’s fair share of new challenges. 

The biggest one? Managing my time.

How To Organize Google Drive for Your Business

How To Organize Google Drive for Your Business

The New Year is upon us, which means that our motivation to get organized and reach our goals is at its peak.

And while I wrote a new blog post on my favorite planning and goal setting resources last week, I left off one of the key tools I use daily to keep my business organized: Google Drive.

My Drive houses client homework, design drafts and revisions, final project files, blog post drafts, master copies, Ellechat outlines - I truly couldn’t run Elle & Company without it. 

Not only is Google Drive great for keeping all of my important files and documents in one place, but it has a huge amount of free storage that can be accessed from any device and it syncs up with Gmail. 

But because I use it for just about everything, my Drive could very easily get out of hand if I didn’t have a system in place. I’m all about some organization and color-coded folders!  

Some of you have reached out to me about how I set up my Google Drive, so I’m taking you behind my screen to show you how I keep all of my files organized. 

My Favorite Planning & Goal Setting Resources

My Favorite Planning & Goal Setting Resources

This time of year always excites me. 

Client projects have finally wrapped up, my annual to-do list is coming to an end and a fresh new year is on the horizon.

I do my best to block off a few days during this week to reflect on the last 12 months and prepare for the year to come, both personally and for my business. 

I love getting things in order, setting goals and having some direction as I approach January 1st. 

I have a feeling many of you do, too. 

So today I’m sharing my favorite planning and goal setting resources. My list isn’t super in-depth or groundbreaking, but I hope you find at least one of these resources helpful as you get your business in order for 2017.