Graphic designs.

I want to share with you some links to practice marketing magic. Canva, the app or the browser version is software I use every week and have been for years. Find it, bookmark it and use it. Take a look at some ideas of what you can create then hop over to Canva and get creative. Here are some ideas:

• Social Media headers
  The consistent look and feel of a brand is key to earning the trust of your audience. Using the same eye-catchy, creative images over all your social media channels will build a connection between your readers and your brand.

• Info or Quote graphics
  Canva has a ton of templates and ideas for ebooks, eguide and more, if I am in search of inspiration I will just browse through the templates on here and I always end up with a fun new content idea. My preference is using the browser version instead of the mobile app.

• Newsletter/Email header graphics
  Use the same brand images you use on your social media when sending email or newsletters to your readers, creating a consistency and familiarity with your brand.

• Stories, Posts and Reels
  There are so many ways to enhance your social media content. I like to create info slides for carousel posts, add text to stories or reels or create fun graphics that I can use all over my social media channels.

Building your brand.

Building your brand takes time. There is no way around this.

Of course there are al sorts of ways to “boost your following” and gain new followers and I do advice you to research what ways feel good to you and give them a try, but in the end it’s about building a connection, gaining trust and being authentic. Gaining fifty new followers a day sounds awesome, but if none of them really read your blog posts or purchase your offerings, it’s pretty pointless. So I advice you to create from the soul, keep it real and invest time into building your brand. 

Below are some ways I like to invest in my brand and business.

• Writing epic content for others! Writing pieces for other websites or social accounts is a great way to get your name out there. Your words will reach a new audience and hopefully this will lead to new connections. Soul check : Only write for websites and people that resonate with you. 

• Let others write epic content for you! The opposite is also a good strategy, let other people write pieces for your website. When you publish a guest article, the guest will most likely share this on their own social media which gives your website new exposure. Soul check : Again…it has to resonate with your own work. Stay true to your own vibe.

• Who doesn't like a fun giveaway? I absolutely love giving things away. There is just something beautiful about sending gifts to people that you have never met before. If you are putting up offerings on your website it might be a good idea to run some giveaways and introduce people to your offerings in this way. If you are looking to build a bigger network, you can also ask people with a bigger following then you if you can run a giveaway on their social media! Soul check : Always. I repeat, always send out the price to the winner.

• Be generous and grateful. This one doesn’t need a lot of explanation…we all like freebies! So be generous, create some awesome content, pdf it and put in on your website for free. Run a discount on your offerings once in a while. Make something and just give it away to someone you connected to. Send some handwritten cards if that is your thing. Soul check : Choose quality over quantity!

• A monthly reminder. Sending out monthly newsletters is a great way to send a lot of information straight to your followers. If you promote your blog posts or work on social media, you have to follow their rules and regulations, and we all know that social media channels have a lot, but when you send out your own newsletter you can design it to your own liking. Soul check : When someone trust you with their email address, don’t spam them!

• Build trust between your brand and your readers. Why would someone sign up for your newsletter if they can catch your updates on social media? Make it worth their while! Create a fun ebook or guide with tips on the topics you love to discuss and send it to them when they sign up. Soul check : Spend time, energy and love on creating this free sign up offering.

• The 80/20 rule. This rule is my motto, both on a personal (80 % veggies, 20% chocolate) as on a business level! When posting on social media : 80% information and musings, 20% offerings. When sending out newsletters : 80% information and musings, 20% offerings. When sharing your knowledge on your website : 80% free basic knowledge, 20% paid. I always come back to this rule and it always works.

Some apps that I love using.

Unum : Visually plan, manage, and schedule all your Instagram posts. 
Evernote or Trello : Write your blog posts with our distractions and to keep track of all your ideas.
Creative Market : The market place for all your design assets.
Squarespace Campaigns : The email marketing tool that allows you to create a newsletter.
Adobe Creative Cloud : The best choice when Canva can't do it.