Stories are one of the most popular features of Instagram. And while they provide us with a lot of ways to personalize our posts, some of the most useful tools are not very easy to find. So, for today’s tip, I wanted to show you how to get access to more color options when drawing or typing on your story. It’s easy—just open the brush or text tool, and TAP and HOLD any of the default colors at the bottom of the screen. That will open a color slider with a rainbow of new color options! Do you know of any other Instagram hidden tools? If so, comment below!
Ya’ll know that I’m always talking about to-do lists. They help me stay focused and on track with both personal and business responsibilities. Today, I wanted to share a tip on what software I use to create my digital lists. I’ve been using an app called Todoist for a while now, and I absolutely love it. Here’s why:
It syncs on all my devices, so I can add, edit, and check off things anywhere and anytime.
It links to my Google calendar, so I don’t have to enter events twice!
It lets me categorize my projects and lists in different ways, prioritizing tasks by color, and organizing items with tags and labels.
I can easily review and sort tasks by day, week, month or a custom timeframe.
I can add due dates, set recurring tasks, and get reminders.
But, the number one reason I like Todoist is that it allows me to plan and arrange my lists in a way that works best for me. What app do you use to keep organized?
(Disclaimer: I was not paid to promote this service. I am a genuine user that likes the app.)
Have you ever worked late into the night and typed up a few emails that you didn’t want to send out at that hour? When that happens to me, I usually save them as drafts to go out in the morning… only sometimes I’ll completely forget about them the next day!
Today’s tip is about a new Gmail feature I recently discovered that can help with this problem—although it seems it’s been available since April, it just showed up on my account, so hopefully, you have it too!
A few days ago, a bright blue message box popped up while I was composing an email. It was letting me know that I can now schedule emails to go out on a certain day and time!!! So if you have this feature available too, all you have to do is click on the white downwards arrow next to “Send” to schedule the delivery time.
As small business owners, we have our hands full with responsibilities, projects, and tasks that need to get done by yesterday, so keeping active on social networks usually gets pushed down to the bottom of the to-do list. Last year, I made a commitment to start showing up on Instagram and Facebook more consistently, and today’s tip is about sharing with you how I was able to do it with Social Curator!
Social Curator is a monthly subscription service created by the incredible Jasmine Star! As a member, every month, I receive professional photos and customizable captions that give me a substantial headstart on knowing what to talk about online. I also get actions plans with step-by-step instructions and exercises that help me learn how to get more out of social media. And, last but not least, I have access to an exclusive Facebook group, and monthly master classes lead by Jasmine herself and in some cases, expert guests.
I’m recommending this service because I genuinely believe it has helped my social media presence, and I feel it could help yours too. However, I want to be clear on something: while I am not getting paid to advertise Social Curator, this month Jasmine is holding a contest for members who refer people to join, and that’s also a reason why I’m promoting it today.
So if you’ve ever considered signing up for an online course or service to help with social media, I whole heartily encourage you to give Social Curator a try! You will not be disappointed!!! And I’d appreciate if you use my referral code so that Jasmine knows I sent you: https://socialcurator.com/join/ref/642/
If you have any questions about my experience with Social Curator, just reach out, and I’ll be happy to answer to the best of my abilities!
Do you sometimes find yourself writing the same exact emails over and over again? In business, you usually get asked the same questions repeatedly. It’s not uncommon to find yourself explaining a process or service in almost the exact same way, word for word, to many different people. So today’s tip is on saving precious time by using canned responses. Canned responses are an advanced Gmail tool that allows you to save pre-written content as an email template. They are a real time saver!!!
To enable them, go to your Gmail settings and click on the Advanced tab. Once enabled, the first step is to create a template.
Open the Compose window and write up your email message. Once you are finished, click on the three dots located at bottom right corner (next to the trash icon.) This opens the More Options menu. Hover over the Canned Responses tab, and you’ll get the option to save your New Canned Response. You will also be prompted to give it a name so you can recognize it later. After saving your new canned response, you can just trash the email you used to write it.
To use a canned response, just start a new email and click on the three dots again. Hover over the Canned Responses tab, and now you’ll be able to see a list of all your canned responses. Click on the name of the one you want to use, and it will insert the content into your new email window. Tah-Dah!!!
It’s no secret that there are different types of image file formats, but do you know the difference between the three most popular ones? I’m frequently asked by clients what each format is for. So today’s tip is about breaking down the basics on the JPG, GIF, and PNG image file formats:
JPG
Ideal for most images, especially photographs. They are lossy – which means they do not retain all the image data. Data deemed unnecessary on the picture gets deleted to compress the file.
GIF
They are usually simpler graphics and are ideal for animations. They retain all data, but they can only support up to 256 colors which is why you can sometimes see gradations between colors, also known as banding.
PNG
Are ideal for images that require transparency—no white background! They also retain all data and can support thousands of colors, but they tend to be much larger files.
There you have it! Let me know if you still have questions on this and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.
If you are ready to get started, please fill out the handy form on my contact page or email me at [email protected] and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
