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.
Have you ever wondered how to get related posts to show up below each of your blog articles on Squarespace? Maybe you’re looking for a fast way to add featured posts to your sidebar or you’d like to create an easy archive page for your site.
The answer to all of the above lies in my favorite Squarespace tool: the summary block. Today I’m taking you behind the screen to show you how to use the tool and get creative with it to meet many of your website building needs.
For those of you who are new around here, there’s something you should know about me: I’m a huge fan of Squarespace. I switched over to the platform a couple years ago after using both Blogger and Wordpress, and I’ve never looked back. I started the Elle & Company site on the Squarespace platform and I’ve been so pleased by the simple interface and gorgeous template designs that I highly recommend it to every design client and blog reader. I also wrote a blog series on it a couple months ago that included 2 free webinars, all of which are recorded and shared here.
Somehow, in all of the many features I shared with you within that series, I left out one of Squarespace’s most functional capabilities: e-commerce. Today I’m giving you a look at how easy it is to set up shop using Squarespace.
Archive pages are a great way to categorize and round up your past blog posts. They make it easier for new visitors to take a look through your previous content, and they allow regular readers to quickly find and refer back to posts that they've read in the past. The more that stay on your site and look through your previous posts, the more likely that they will get to know you, like you, and follow along with you.
On Tuesday I blogged about 9 Ways to Make the Most Out of Old Blog Content, and I put an emphasis on the importance of a well-designed blog archive. Since then, I've been surprised by the number of readers who have asked me how to set up an archive page in Squarespace. Today I thought it would be beneficial to walk you through 3 different ways to showcase your archives using Squarespace blocks.
Blogging with Squarespace is simple and intuitive. From adding a blog page to creating and publishing a post, the blogging process in this platform is very straightforward (especially for those of you who don't have any previous experience with coding).
Blogging platforms are always a topic of great debate and can be a touchy subject for some, so I think it's important to preface this post by stating that different platforms work better for different people depending on their needs. I made the switch to Squarespace from Wordpress and Blogger because I needed a backend that was user-friendly, a template that was easy to customize, and great customer support. I've never looked back or regretted my decision, and I highly suggest Squarespace to each of my clients. But because Squarespace is comparatively new to the scene, people aren't as familiar with its blogging capabilities.
One of the things I enjoy most about Squarespace is that it's all inclusive. My domain name, site hosting, e-commerce shop, blog, custom email address, newsletter sign-up - all are in one place without any plugins or coding, and Squarespace manages it all for me. Metrics are also included, and I've been very impressed with the simple layout and variety of information that Squarespace provides for displaying my visitor activity. Today I'm taking you into the backend of my website to give you a look inside the metrics that are available within each Squarespace site. By exploring the metrics, you can learn how visitors discover your site and what they do once they're there.
