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

How to Create an Autoresponder for Your Mailing List

How to Create an Autoresponder for Your Mailing List

I’ve discussed why mailing lists are important and I’ve shared about the ins and outs of using Mailchimp, but there’s one crucial piece to effectively utilizing a mailing list that I haven’t covered quite yet: autoresponders. 

It seems too simple, but email automation is one of the most effective ways to gain the email addresses of those who are truly interested in your products and services. In fact, one survey by the Lenskold Group and the Pedowitz Group says that automation increased the quality of leads that get passed to sales by 60% (source).

Autoresponders also help solve many problems within your business. Have you ever wondered how to automatically send a welcome message, freebie, or recent newsletter to new email subscribers? Maybe you’re interested in setting up a marketing campaign for recent customers or creating an email workflow for your clients. 

If any of the above grabs your attention, today’s post is for you. I’m explaining the ins and outs of using autoresponders as well as some creative ways to use them for your business. Then I’ll take you behind the scenes for a how-to on setting up autoresponders in Mailchimp.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone, Anywhere

How to Sell Anything to Anyone, Anywhere

There were a few things I said I would never be when I grew up, and salesperson was near the top of the list. For some reason that word has always conjured up images of a not-so-trustworthy person trying to sell me something that I don’t need or have any interest in.

So you can imagine how horrified I was when I got off the phone with a potential client a few months ago and Jake remarked that I was “quite the saleswoman.” Saleswoman? Really?

But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized how much of my job has to do with selling. And there’s no way around it; in order to create an income and keep my business afloat, I have to sell my products and services. 

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4 Tangible Ways Our Website Updates Can Benefit You

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4 Tangible Ways Our Website Updates Can Benefit You

As a designer, it’s easy (and very tempting) to make updates to my brand and website regularly. And when I first started, that’s exactly what I did. But over time I began to see how important consistency can be within a brand, even within the smallest details. 

Until this past Sunday evening, the Elle & Company site hadn’t seen any significant updates in well over a year. I had been making a long list of updates and additions with the intention to make the changes in one fell swoop.

I jumped at the opportunity of using my off-week in between clients to to make the changes, and with all of the exciting things in store for Elle & Company this summer, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

15 Easy Ways to Grow Your Blog Tribe

15 Easy Ways to Grow Your Blog Tribe

Building a loyal audience is a popular topic these days. As bloggers, we all desire to have a following that’s interested in what we have to say and engages with our content. And as a business owner, I know that the more engaged my audience is and the more they interact with my blog and business, the more likely they are to book my services, subscribe to the Library, or purchase a seat to my e-courses down the road. 

We all know that growing a loyal audience is essential, but the hangup isn’t in the why; it’s in the how. So today I’m sharing 15 easy ways that I’ve found helpful for growing your blog tribe.

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Can Your Site Survive with Fewer Blog Posts?

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Can Your Site Survive with Fewer Blog Posts?

Jake and I were shocked by the response to the latest Elle & Company newsletter. 

It had been a week or two since we sent out our last newsletter because of a fast-paced move and 2 weeks without internet, and we also skipped a couple weekday blog posts in the mix, too. While I was stressed about falling out of our routine and breaking my one and a half year streak of blogging 5 days a week, I was stunned to see the impact that inconsistent blogging had on our site analytics. 

So, we shared about it in Monday’s newsletter.