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.
One of the most powerful tools for convincing potential clients to work with us are reviews. Think about it—how many times have you searched for reviews on a company before calling them? What impact did they have on your decision to hire them?
Today’s tip is about encouraging your clients to leave reviews. Most people won’t even think to leave one unless they had a bad experience. So, here are three things you can do to get more happy customers raving about your services:
1 Remind them!
People often need a prompt. At the end of the project, kindly ask them if they would consider leaving a review about their experience. Don’t forget to send them a follow-up email about it too.
2 Give them options!
Always provide several platforms they can use, such as Google, Facebook, Yelp or even a form on your own site.
3 Make it easy!
Send them links directly to the places where they can leave the reviews. Have the links handy on your website or even on your email signature too.
We all “google” services, products and companies we are interested in. It’s safe to say that everyone uses Google daily to look up something. So, with that in mind, today’s tip is as simple and straightforward as it can get: Google your business!
Use a different browser or just open an incognito window to make sure you see what your potential clients are seeing. Check that you have a Google business listing set up and that all the contact information on it is correct. Add recent photos and look over your reviews—remember to respond to any negative ones because it shows accountability and that you care about your clients’ experience.
Everyone who learns about your company, whether from an online source or a simple referral, will end up googling you. Make sure your business makes the best impression!
Before I start a new logo for a client, I ask them to send me examples of logos they like. They don’t have to be from the same industry or even related to their business in any way. I do this to try to get visual insight for what style, colors or characteristics they’re drawn to. This helps me tap into their vision and get more clear direction than I would from verbal information. However, once in a while, I’ll receive the Apple logo as part of the samples. Don’t get me wrong, that logo is beautiful, but more often than not, clients are actually responding to the brand, more than the logo itself. So today’s tip is on the distinction between a brand and a logo.
Brand
A brand comes down to experience. It’s how people feel about a business. It englobes all their interactions with a company, whether that’s through product use, marketing efforts, customer service, what they’ve heard others say—anything and all that has impacted how they think about a business.
Logo
A logo is an actual graphic that identifies a business. It’s a visual and memorable element that helps people recognize a company. The logo is a part of the brand.
So while we sometimes tend to interchange the word “brand” and “logo,” they are definitely not the same thing. Yet, both are equally important to any company.
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.
