content marketing Archives

Creative Ways To Enhance Your Online Exposure

November 13, 2020 · In: Marketing, Remote Work

When it comes to your business or brand, you want to ensure that you do all that you can to enhance and encourage it.

Most things are done online right now, and this year especially has seen many businesses look at online ventures as an alternative to ensure that they can do some business.

However, are you being creative when it comes to enhancing your online exposure? With that in mind, here are some of the things that you could consider to help you increase it.

Self-publishing a book

One of the first things to consider might be a book. Writing a book is for most people they say, but it could be a great way to enhance your online exposure, especially if your business is focused on you as a brand. This could be especially useful for people who work in social media influencing, or perhaps are creative in terms of a freelance writer.

You could look at self-publishing a book on anything and looking online for publishing companies near me could help you find the right fit. It could also be an addition in terms of income to your already existing brand, business, or blog. It is definitely one to consider and could be a great way to enhance your online exposure as more people are looking to read things on the go.

Write a blog

On the subject of writing things on the go, maybe it is time to start thinking about a blog. A blog is a great way to enhance your online exposure. You can use it as an additional page on your current website or even create a separate blog with a new domain.

It can help to enhance your exposure because of the use of the content, keywords, and a focus on search engine optimization. You will likely want your business to be recommended and suggested in terms of search engine results, and a blog can help with links to your existing website and company page or even just as a way of advertising your business in a different way. There are some great articles online that can help you get started with this.

Social media or marketing strategy for content

We all know that more is being done online these days, so it may be time to come up with a social media and marketing strategy to help enhance your online exposure. This can be great for all sorts of businesses and brands as more is being forced online with lockdown and businesses having to temporarily close for face to face contact. Now is the perfect time to try and increase the awareness of your business and brand online and social media is a great way to do it.

You can look at posting more consistently or even thinking about commenting and engaging more online. There is a lot that social media can help with your business and brand, especially with online exposure.

Let’s hope these tips help you to enhance your online exposure.

Image source – pixabay – cco license

How to Become a Better Writer

October 1, 2020 · In: Marketing, Remote Work

For many, writing consistent, quality content can become challenging over time. But despite the challenge, writing is still an essential form of communication used on a daily basis, from texting, sending emails, and even writing the perfect captions for social media. Despite your reason for growth, here are 8 ways to improve your writing skills in any capacity.

Be clear

Clear writing focuses on communicating one message in a way that is simple. Good writing is clear thinking on paper that is logical, specific, and easy to follow. Focus on relaying ideas in a way that is systematic and easy to understand.

Avoid fluff

Quality writing focuses on using words that must earn their place on the page. Instead of trying to write lengthy text, be sure to avoid filler words, such as that, just, really, or very. Unnecessary words take up space and taint the intended message.

Write before you edit

Though you may be tempted to modify your writing during the actual process, your best content comes when you write freely. Instead of attempting to correct mistakes at the moment, first focus on communicating your ideas in fullness to stay on track, and edit later.

Write daily

Getting in the practice of writing every day can significantly strengthen the way you write, and help you build a consistent habit. Set aside time to grow in your craft, even if only journaling for 5 minutes or writing a lengthy note in your phone

Read daily

The more you read, the more familiar you enrich your vocabulary, absorb different sentence structures, and produce quality content. Make reading a daily discipline to learn from the writing styles of others, and implement them in your own work.

Exercise daily

Though exercise isn’t directly correlated to writing – moving your body for 15 minutes a day can reap a multitude of benefits. Exercise is proven to release endorphins that improve your mood, decrease anxiety – and even increase your creativity.

Write down new ideas

No matter what the idea, jot down notes of any new creative thoughts that come your way, and get in the practice of recording them. When those thoughts continue to linger, continue to write them down – you never know where the story may lead!

Write first thing

In a consumerist society, we are bombarded by hundreds of messages on a daily basis from text messages, ads, and threads of emails in both our personal and professional inboxes. Create before you consume, and allow yourself to write in a way that’s unfiltered and without distraction.

Though writing takes skill, developing the discipline to put your writing into practice will drastically improve your ability over time. Instead of taking shortcuts, put in the hard work to grow your writing ability, knowing it will carry you throughout your entire career and life.

How to Get Compelling Graphics

May 1, 2020 · In: Marketing, Remote Work, Technology

Creating compelling graphics online is more important to social media platforms, web design, and overall content creation than most may realize.

Because the majority of the web is driven by visual content, it is important to have compelling images that truly tell a story and serve your audience well.

Despite your background in graphic design or photography, here are some resources worth researching when creating visual content to use online.

Look into presets

Adobe Creative Cloud is the leading platform for professionals when it comes to visual artwork, using Lightroom well will likely lead to the highest quality content. Don’t have time to learn to be a photographer?

Still download Lightroom, but instead of creating your edits, purchase presets. Presets are typically designed by photographers, and unlike filters, edit the entire composition of the photo taken in a given environment. Looking into consistent presets to add to your photos will enhance your brand by posting edited photos that also have slight personal touches. Eventually, you can even create your own.

Download apps

If platforms like Adobe Lightroom seem intimidating, there are apps like VSCO, Color Story, and Snapseed to help edit your photos as well. Such apps will enable you to apply filters that match your brand directly from your phone, creating a cohesive theme. Many brands or companies will use the same filter, or a variation of a filter and color, repeatedly across all photos to create a signature look.

Canva and Crello

Canva and Crello are user-friendly graphic design websites with plenty of preloaded templates to choose from. From social media graphics and banners to presentations, and even event flyers, there’s a template for nearly everything. If you prefer creating something custom, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube that offer instruction on how to use such platforms with ease to create your own custom content.

Use stock photo websites

Unsplash, Pexels, and other photo websites exist where you can download professional photos for free from photographers aspiring to put their name out, or at a small charge in comparison to the price it would take to hire a photographer to shoot for you.

Using such websites will give you a variety of photos to choose from and implement in your design campaigns, or to schedule on social media.

Hire a new photographer

When it comes to your photo content, authenticity matters. Depending on your audience or product, stock photos may not always be sufficient.

Consider hiring a photographer every few months, or for a full day to get custom shots of your product or service. Squeezing them into a day may prove to be more cost-effective in the long run, and just because you get the photos all in one sitting does not mean you have to roll them out at the same time.

If you have a low budget, look to find someone in college that wants to make extra income that has an iPhone that can even take some easy photos for your social media accounts. With an iPhone 10 or better, they can still take some great shots. Look through photography hashtags on Instagram and consider reaching out.

Look into pre-made templates on Etsy

Believe it or not, this website has many options when it comes to graphic design templates, presets, or stock photos. As a melting pot for creatives, you may be able to easily find some of the visual images you may be looking for. Such templates likely will be more custom than more heavily used websites like Canva considering Etsy does require purchases. You may even find a designer to create custom content just for you at a great price.

How to Handle Your Finances as a Freelancer

March 1, 2020 · In: Finance, Remote Work

Managing your financial situation as a freelancer can be tricky, especially if you’re not accustomed to freelancing yet or if you’re finding it difficult to dedicate time to your financial situation. If this is the case, then we’ve got a couple of helpful tips that will make your life a lot easier.

Record all of your money coming in and going out

A lot of people don’t realize the importance of recording all of your financial transactions. This can help with everything from calculating your tax payments to budgeting so you know how much money you can pocket and how much you should spend on your business.

Use cloud accounting software when possible

Cloud accounting software is essential for making your financial responsibilities easier to handle. These types of software can help you record all of your incoming and outgoing money, they can help you create and send professional invoices to clients, and they can even give you advice on your tax responsibilities.

Hire an accountant if your financial responsibilities are taking too long

It can be incredibly time-consuming to try and manage your finances alone, especially as your freelancing business grows. That’s why it’s important to consider hiring an accountant in the future should it become too time-consuming for you alone to manage.

Dealing with your taxes can be difficult if you don’t have any experience with the tax laws and processes. This is why it’s vital to hire an accountant to help you, or at least do your research and study the process to make things easier.

To highlight this, I’ve included an infographic below from Northeastern University that explains six top issues with taxation.

Infographic: Northeastern University