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

Fish Pants, Blue Hair, and More Unexpected Ways to Be Memorable

Fish Pants, Blue Hair, and More Unexpected Ways to Be Memorable

Kimra Luna has blue hair.

Rand Fishkin wears bright yellow sneakers to every speaking engagement and sports a huge mustache.

Pat Flynn jumped out of a Delorean onstage at a conference with a skateboard in hand.

All of these things are attention-grabbing and memorable; you can’t help but take notice of them and remember people by them. Oddities and unexpected features help people stand out.

And that’s especially important when you’re speaking at conferences or workshops. 

I’ve had the opportunity of speaking at several over the past year and a half, but I’ve had trouble answering one question:

How do you stand out?

Because any speaker knows that while you want to share helpful information, you also want to be entertaining and engaging. You don’t want to sound like a boring college professor, but you also don’t want to be a circus act. 

But if you know me personally (or have spent any length of time on this site), you probably noticed very quickly that I’m normal. Like, very normal. 

I don’t have any crazy tattoos. I’m not super trendy. And I definitely don’t have blue hair.

The creative designer always wishes that I would push the envelope a little bit more, but the safe, type-A side of me always holds me back.

And that’s where the story of the fish pants comes in.

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How to Create a Distinct Color Palette for Your Brand

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How to Create a Distinct Color Palette for Your Brand

Color is one of the most noticeable, tangible components of a brand. 

It plays a large role in how a brand is perceived, it helps with recognizability and memorability, and it has the potential to attract the right kind of customers, clients and blog readers.

But coming up with a color palette is often a challenge for many creative entrepreneurs when they’re developing their brand. They don’t know which colors to choose, how many colors they need to include, how to use the colors together, and how to make their color palette distinct from others in their industry. 

Do these struggles sound familiar? If so, I have some great news for you. 

Coming up with a distinct color palette doesn’t require any special skills. 

All you need is a basic understanding of color psychology, a little creativity, and these 4 steps!

Why Crowdcast Trumps Every Other Webinar Platform

Why Crowdcast Trumps Every Other Webinar Platform

Everyone seems to be catching on to the awesome benefits of using webinars. 

They’re engaging, personable, less scripted, and interactive. They’re a lot more entertaining than a blog post or an email, and they’ve been proven to have high conversion rates. 

It’s fairly easy to come up with ideas for webinars and find resources on how to host them. But searching for a webinar platform? That’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

Thankfully, I’ve found the needle. It’s called Crowdcast and it will change the way you run webinars. 

4 Strategies I’ve Used to Gain 6000+ Subscribers in 3 Months

4 Strategies I’ve Used to Gain 6000+ Subscribers in 3 Months

At the beginning of this year, I finally decided to bite the bullet and put more time into building my mailing list (for all the reasons I explained in this post a couple weeks ago). 

I knew I needed to place opt-ins in prominent places. I had heard content upgrades were a great way to encourage people to subscribe to my list. But I needed an outside expert to hold me accountable and craft a game plan specifically for my business. 

So I brought on the help of business coach and list-building pro, Bryan Harris. 

With his help, I’ve been able to grow my list from 4,500 subscribers to over 11,000 subscribers in a little over 3 months.

Those numbers make it seem like the process was involved and complicated. But the truth is that I only made 4 simple changes, and they took less than 4 hours to implement.

I’m certain that you can make these 4 changes and see success with them, too. Here’s how.

7 Actionable Steps for Taking Your Business Full-Time

7 Actionable Steps for Taking Your Business Full-Time

Many people don’t know this, but I made the leap to full-time entrepreneurship right after my husband, Jake, started grad school. 

He’s a full-time student and has 1 year left, and Elle & Company has been able support us for the past 2 and a half years. It’s been a wild ride and a huge blessing.

So for those of you who are fearful of quitting your day job and pursuing your creative business full-time, I understand. I’ve been there.

I also know that there’s no magic formula for taking your business full-time. But there are some practical ways to make the transition smoother.