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

Striving to Be Remarkable - A Review of Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Striving to Be Remarkable - A Review of Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Last month I introduced a new Elle & Company blog series called the Business Book Club. My hope with this series is to start a discussion, challenge one another to dive into great business resources, and learn more from the pros on what it takes to grow a successful business. 

The first book selection for May was Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Although this book is small (I finished it within a few quick flights between Charlotte and Grand Rapids), it's dense. It would take several posts to cover all of Godin's great insights and examples of modern marketing, so today I'm highlighting my biggest takeaways from the book. 

How to Create SEO-Rich Content

How to Create SEO-Rich Content

If you ask 100 people about SEO, you might get 100 different answers. And frankly, it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish through your blog or website. We can relate to the uphill battle of trying to get your content in front of countless people through search engines, so today Jake and I are partnering together to share how you can create content that will rank higher in search engine results. 

New Brand + Website Launch for Magnolia Media PR

New Brand + Website Launch for Magnolia Media PR

While branding has many benefits for a business, some of the greatest are differentiation, recognizability, and memorability. So whenever I approach a new project, I challenge myself to push the limits and design a brand unlike any other I've designed in the past and unlike any other I've seen from other designers.

My 2-week design process has made this challenge easier by allowing me to focus solely on one client at a time and pour into all the fun details. Today's new brand and website for Magnolia Media PR is no different, and I'm excited to show you the final designs!

The Facts About You (Our 2015 Survey Results!)

The Facts About You (Our 2015 Survey Results!)

We were blown away by the number of readers who participated in last week's annual blog survey. Thank you again to those of you who gave up a couple minutes of your day to weigh in with some feedback. It was extremely helpful to read about what you enjoy most about Elle & Company and learn what we could be doing better, but it was even more fun to get to know you and read about your interests. We really appreciate your honest answers and we're very thankful that you've been following along.

It wouldn't be fair to keep the results to ourselves, so we're sharing them on the blog today (along with the help of the new Squarespace chart block). Here are the facts about you!

25 Things I've Learned from Blogging 5 Days a Week

25 Things I've Learned from Blogging 5 Days a Week

Although I've been blogging for over 3 years now, I've learned the most about blogging over the past 6 months. I've never poured this amount of time and energy into a project, and I spend at least 3 hours each day preparing content for this space. It's been trying, rewarding, and exciting seeing this blog grow over the past several months, and I love sharing what we've learned with other creatives and entrepreneurs. Blogging has become fundamental to our business, and Jake and I can't stress the importance of it enough.

Today I'm sharing 25 of the biggest things we've learned since we took a more serious approach to blogging last November. I hope that these insights might help you with your own blog and save you all of the trial and error that we've had to go through!