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.
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?
“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.
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.
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.
So you’re convinced that Squarespace is the platform for you.
It’s simple user interface, beautiful templates, and all-in-one platform won you over, and you’re ready to make the switch.
But where do you start? How do you move all your of your current content over, transfer your domain, and easily make the switch to Squarespace?
Here are 6 simple steps for making the transition as easy as possible.
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.
The key to every professional, easily recognizable brand is consistency.
When brands use the same colors, logos, fonts, patterns, and imagery over and over again, potential clients and customers begin to associate those visuals with their business.
Consider Chipotle.
You don’t have to see their logo to recognize their foil-wrapped burritos or white paper cups with brown hand lettering.
Because they’re consistent, you associate these visuals with their brand.
The same should be true for your business. And the best way you can brand create consistency is through your collateral items.
Did you cringe a little when you read the title of this blog post?
I hear you. Taxes aren’t my favorite business topic, either.
Not only are they unfamiliar territory, but they can have some negative consequences if you don’t know what you’re doing. So naturally, most of us tend to shy away from tax prep until the very last minute and stress out getting everything in order before April 15th.
But I’m here to tell you: It doesn’t have to be so difficult! Knowledge is power, and knowing how to prepare can help you break this stressful cycle.
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.
