Posts tagged marketing
Journey To Success: How To Build A Resilient Small Business

Starting and running a small business is a fulfilling yet challenging journey. Success in this endeavor requires more than just a great idea or product; it involves strategic planning, financial wisdom, team building, risk management, technology adoption, and effective marketing.

In this article, we explore crucial strategies to help small business owners build resilience and navigate the path to success.

No. 1

Navigating the Challenges: Strategies for Overcoming Common Small Business Obstacles

Small business owners often face a variety of obstacles, from financial constraints to market competition. Overcoming these challenges starts with thorough market research to understand the needs of your target audience and the dynamics of your industry.

Effective cash flow management is critical; always prepare for lean times by saving during peak periods. Additionally, differentiating your business offerings by emphasizing quality, customer service, or innovation will help you stand out in a saturated market.

No. 2

Financial Health: Key Financial Management Tips for Emerging Businesses

Maintaining financial health is paramount for any small business. Start by creating an LLC, setting clear financial goals, and budgeting meticulously in the following ways:

  1. Expenses - Keep personal and business finances separate to ensure clearer financial oversight.

  2. Accounting Software - Invest in accounting software or services to manage your finances accurately.

  3. Financial Statements - Regularly review your financial statements to identify trends and make informed decisions.

  4. Emergency Fund - Establish an emergency fund to provide a safety net that helps your business weather unexpected financial storms.

No. 3

Building a Strong Team: Hiring and Retaining the Right Talent for Your Business

Your team is the backbone of your business. Attracting and retaining the right talent involves creating a positive workplace culture where employees feel valued and part of the business's success.

Offer competitive salaries, benefits, and opportunities for professional development. Foster open communication and encourage feedback. Recognizing and rewarding your employees’ contributions will also boost morale and loyalty.

No. 4

Risk Management: Protecting Your Business from the Unexpected

Unexpected events can significantly impact your business operations and financial stability. One key area of risk management for many businesses involves vehicles. Whether used for deliveries, sales visits, or other business needs, they must be protected from liabilities.

Commercial auto insurance is essential for protecting your business against the financial consequences of auto accidents, theft, and other vehicle-related risks. This insurance not only covers repair costs but also protects against liability claims that could arise from accidents. Investing in comprehensive commercial auto insurance ensures that your business can continue operations with minimal disruption, even when faced with unforeseen events.

No. 5

Leveraging Technology: Tools and Technologies to Streamline Your Business Processes

Technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving the overall customer experience. Small businesses should leverage tools such as:

  1. Cloud Computing - Provides easier data access and storage.

  2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems - Manages customer interactions.

  3. E-commerce Platforms - Expands market reach.

  4. Automation Software - Frees up time from repetitive tasks to focus on strategic growth initiatives.

No 6.

Marketing Your Business: Effective Strategies to Reach Your Target Audience

Effective marketing is essential for attracting and retaining customers. Start by identifying your unique value proposition and understanding your target audience. Use a mix of online and offline marketing strategies to reach your audience where they are most active.

Content marketing, social media, email marketing, and SEO are powerful tools for building online visibility. In addition, do not overlook the value of traditional marketing methods like networking events, local sponsorships, and word-of-mouth referrals, which can also drive significant business.

Takeaways

Building a resilient small business requires a multifaceted approach. From navigating challenges and maintaining financial health to building a strong team, managing risks, leveraging technology, and implementing effective marketing strategies, each element plays a vital role in the journey to success.



Top 7 Tips For Promoting Your Historic Daytime Tours

If you run historic daytime tours, you’re probably well-versed in your area’s heritage. There is a lot of effort and storytelling involved in this activity. Additionally, you will need the relevant permissions and bookings to carry out your tours without any hitches—along with taking into account the transportation and refreshment costs you will have as well. Ensuring that you have everything prepared for your tours well in advance will set you up for success.

To increase your reach, first, you will want to set up a website and list your historic daytime tours there. Once you have everything organized, you can move on to marketing. If you don’t promote your tours, well, they won’t be successful. So, in this article, we have prepared a few tips to help you along:

 

No. 1

Make attractive posters

Historic daytime tours involve many sightseeing opportunities. So, you must visualize the environment you want to showcase to your audience. Make posters that showcase the attractions you will visit on these tours. Select attractive pictures, and use them to make travel posters. The templates on PosterMyWall will help you get the layout right, making things easier for you. 

Share these posters on your social media platforms, and print copies that you can post and pass around to prospective customers. Put these printed copies up around town, especially in places people frequent. Try to put these up near local schools and community centers as well. 

No. 2

Share highlight videos

To market your historic daytime tours, visuals are important. People will want to see what they can expect before booking their sightseeing tours with you. So, make a few highlight videos of your tours. Make one for each tour you offer, and give some historical context as well. 

Additionally, in an informative way, you will need to communicate that you will visit the same sites that are featured on your tours. Share these videos on your social media platforms such as Instagram Reels and TikTok. To increase your reach, you may also want to put them up on your YouTube channel as well. 

No. 3

Inform your audience

Historical tours include a lot of sharing of information and opportunities to educate your audience. So, why not include a bit of that in your marketing as well? When you contextualize your day tours with interesting stories and lore, more people will want to visit. You can also find out if the sites you’re visiting have been mentioned in any popular legends or fiction. 

For example, Hever Castle in Edenbridge, UK, was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. While people may not know the complete factual history of her, the scandals and stories surrounding her ill-fated marriage with Henry VIII are popular all over the world. Thus, it is a popular tourist area. So, contextualize your day tour stops with interesting tidbits of history and lore. 

No. 4

Work with local influencers

Work with local influencers to promote your historic daytime tours. Have a special influencer event where you take a few of them to several selected destinations. Have them publish videos where they talk about their experiences on these tours with their audiences.

In doing so, this will help you access a wider audience while showcasing the services you offer. It will also spur potential customers’ interest, especially if the influencers express their excitement and positive feelings about your tours. 

No. 5

Talk to local schools

Schools and community centers are a great opportunity to market your tours. So, arrange school visits and prepare a fun video about your daytime tours. Show these in an assembly to students, or talk to the school administration to arrange school trips. 

This will allow you to reach high-volume bookings for your daytime tours and will also nurture a love for history in younger audiences. What could be better—reach out to parents as well, and let them know about the family-friendly tours you offer. 

No. 6

Highlight other local attractions

When you market your daytime tours, avoid talking only about what people will see on your tours—also inform them about surrounding attractions such as shops, museums, or other popular locations. This will attract them to the area, and make it more likely that they’ll book a tour with you. 

If you market the area right, they may even opt for multiple tours. So, talk about the area you operate in, its historical significance, and what it has to offer for visitors in addition to what you will be showcasing. Include images and recommendations for dining, accommodations, and visits, and take the guesswork out of what to do in the area.

No. 7

Share testimonials

Whenever you conduct a tour, also ensure that you get customer reviews. If people are willing, make short videos where they talk about their experience with you. Then, share these testimonials online, on social media and other platforms. 

Encourage people to rate you well on tourism websites like TripAdvisor. Share these ratings and reviews on your social media. These testimonials are a useful resource that will help people browsing through these websites find you and consider your tours. 

Takeaways

There are many ways you can promote your historic daytime tours. First and foremost, ensure that you are knowledgeable about the areas that you are promoting, and tailor memorable experiences for your visitors. By following a winning formula that will attract customers, you can rest assured that your business will flourish.

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Custom-Made Badges: Crafting Your Business's Visual Signature

Brand identity is essential for setting a company apart from its competitors, improving brand recognition, fostering trust and credibility, and establishing emotional connections. Alongside this, a strong brand identity can nurture customer loyalty, ensure consistency, guide marketing efforts, contribute to perceived value, align employees, and facilitate adaptability and growth. Crafting custom-made badges for your business is an excellent way to achieve these beneficial outcomes, enhancing your visual signature and brand identity all in one effort.  

In this article, you will discover more about custom-made badges and the process of creating them to shape your business's visual signature. 

 

No. 1

Crafting a Visual Signature 

Custom badges, just like cocktail napkins, are pivotal in establishing a brand's identity by moving beyond generic options. Tailoring designs to reflect your business's values, mission, and aesthetic is essential. These badges serve as tangible representations, fostering unity among employees and creating a visual impact on customers. By encompassing color schemes, typography, and unique symbols, custom badges contribute to creating a cohesive brand image.  

For instance, incorporating circuit patterns and sleek, modern fonts into custom badges aligns with a technology company's innovative brand identity, making it instantly recognizable among its audience.  

For an eco-friendly brand, using earthy tones, sustainable materials, and nature-inspired symbols in custom badges reinforces its commitment to environmental values and creates a visually cohesive brand image. 

  

No. 2

Elevate Your Style with a Range of Custom-Made Badges  

To stand out in a competitive market, your business should elevate your style with a range of custom made badges and integrate them into their branding strategy.  

Custom badges offer opportunities for creativity and innovation, enabling experimentation with classic enamel, embroidered patches, or modern acrylic designs. The variety in badge styles allows businesses to express their unique personalities and adapt to evolving trends.  

In a fashion brand, strategically combining embroidered patches and sleek acrylic badges demonstrates the brand's commitment to staying on trend and allows for dynamic visual representation.  

For a music festival organizer, utilizing a variety of badges, such as glow-in-the-dark, holographic, and fabric options, caters to diverse attendee preferences and enhances the overall festival experience. 

  

No. 3

Building Brand Loyalty  

Custom badges serve as a crucial tool for fostering brand loyalty. Providing limited-edition badges as promotional items or rewards creates a sense of exclusivity and strengthens the connection between the brand and customers. These badges transcend mere symbols, becoming cherished tokens associated with positive experiences, thus promoting customer loyalty.  

For example, exclusive badges offered as rewards for customer loyalty programs of a sports brand transform into collectibles, further enhancing the emotional bond between the brand and its customers.

On the other hand, introducing special achievement badges in a gaming platform encourages users to engage more with the platform, fostering a sense of accomplishment and loyalty among players. 

 

No. 4

How To Create Custom-Made Badges 

Creating custom-made badges for your business involves a series of steps to enhance your brand visibility, visual signature, and identity.  


I. Define Your Brand Identity 

Define your brand's values, personality, and target audience—research existing badge designs for inspiration, focusing on those that align with your brand identity. Once inspired, determine the purpose of your badges—whether they are for employee identification, events, or certifications. 


II. Creative Phase: Sketch and Experiment 

Transition to the creative phase by sketching rough ideas on paper. Experiment with various shapes, colors, and layouts. As you refine your concepts, decide on the badge shape and size, considering practicality for diverse applications. Choose colors and fonts reflecting your brand's personality and remain consistent with your existing branding elements. 


III. Digital Design and Integration 

Integrating brand elements, such as logos and symbols, into your badge design as you progress to the digital design phase. Use graphic design software to create a polished digital version, making necessary refinements and adjustments. Include essential information, like employee names or event details, ensuring clarity and readability within the design. 

  

IV. Review and Feedback 

Transitioning to the review phase, gather feedback from colleagues or stakeholders. Incorporate their input to make any necessary adjustments to improve the overall design. Consider printing methods and select the most suitable one based on your budget and quality expectations. Before mass production, print a prototype to evaluate color accuracy and overall satisfaction. 

  

V. Material Selection and Production 

Moving forward, choose the material for your badges, considering durability and budget constraints. Once satisfied with the prototype, proceed with mass production. Distribute the badges to employees or use them for events, maintaining consistency in the design across different batches and applications. 


No. 5

Outsourcing Custom-Made Badges

Custom badge manufacturers bring professional design expertise, ensuring a consistent and high-quality brand representation. They offer flexibility in customization, allowing choices in materials, sizes, shapes, and finishes. Outsourcing badge production saves time and effort, enabling businesses to focus on other aspects.  

Moreover, manufacturers can handle orders of various sizes, making it easy to scale branding efforts for different purposes. Their expertise extends to valuable insights based on experience with diverse brands, contributing to a positive perception of the brand through well-crafted badges. 


Takeaways

Indeed, investing in custom-made badges is essential for shaping a visual signature that sets a business apart. By emphasizing creativity and uniqueness, these badges leave a lasting impression, reinforce brand loyalty, and elevate a business's image to new heights.



6 Effective Tips To Impress Your Customers

Attracting new customers can be challenging, but when you do, you want to make sure they are impressed with what your business has to offer. As a business owner, this often means that you will have to go above and beyond what your customer expects. Whether it is continuously engaging your existing customers or attracting new ones, maintaining a good impression on your brand could create lifetime relationships with your ideal customers.

HLL x Luseta Beauty Rewards

Luseta Beauty’s rewards program is called Beauty Garden rewards, and customers can earn “petals” in exchange for various free incentives.

The actions you must engage to attract your customers will differ from business to business, but it is worth knowing that it will always be an investment in the end. Oftentimes satisfying customers is not easy, and an effective marketing plan is not cheap. However, going to great lengths to achieve a good balance will ensure that you are building a brand that lasts.

In the end, every business owner knows that happy customers lead to success. So how do you impress customers so that they not only return but also spread the word about your business?

Here are six tips to help you stand out from the competition and impress your customers:


01

Focus on quality Marketing efforts

The first step to impressing new customers and even potential new business partners rests in working on how you present your business. If you try to save money on marketing, you must keep in mind that the quality and value of your marketing strategies are going to be what leaves an impression on your customers. Being conscious about Socially Responsible Marketing (SRM) is the first step in creating a brand that resonates with a larger audience.

Moreover, when you are planning your next marketing campaign, think bigger, but effective. Hire a drone to record your shots, invest in animation (create an animation video), and do what other businesses are not doing. You can learn more about getting a drone for your business and explore new technologies that can help you achieve your vision.

It might sound like you are being a bit over the top, but going for what is new and premium in the market is exactly what you need to grab the attention of both customers and partners. Why? Because these tools will allow you to achieve the best results possible. Quality is always an indicator of a business’s success, so make sure you are communicating this to your audience.


02

Keep open communication

When you buy a product from a new business, you want to know that you are going to get what you have paid for. If you do not and are not satisfied, you will want to know that you can easily and quickly communicate with the business about getting it sorted. If you keep your communications closed, you are not going to be able to reassure your customers that their orders are secure and that they are not going to lose out when they buy from you.

It is also important to be ready to answer any questions about your products or services, as you may have prospective customers who are ready to make a purchase but would like to learn just a little more. The quicker you answer their questions, the more likely you are to address their concerns and make a sale, so have someone ready and waiting to respond to all customers who write in. It may even be a good idea to have an automated response set up for certain questions.


03

Provide quality products & services

It is one thing to show off and make many promises about your products and services, but you must ensure that you are capable of actually following through with them. You would not want to waste a great marketing campaign on something that your customer is ultimately going to be disappointed with. When you are making these promises of quality, be confident that you can deliver them. Sure, quality products and services are more expensive to put out, but this is fundamental if you want your business to grow a reputation for quality.

Selling poor-quality products is going to be cheaper for you, and will save you a chunk of money in the short term, but it is not great for long-term business; It is disappointing, and if your competitors are offering better products while being heavily committed to socially responsible practices, you are going to lose your customers to them. It is important that if you change up suppliers at some point, you do not lose the quality that you have always provided. Your existing customers may feel cheated, and your business’ reputation will decline.

04

Surprise them

If you have highly anticipated products, features, or services you are planning to launch, know that the wait can kill the excitement for your customers. If you are going to announce something, you will want to make sure you are not announcing it too early on in the process. Being spontaneous is much more effective and allows customers to make their purchases based on the excitement, rather than waiting for all of the hype around it to die.

The problem with many marketing campaigns is that by the time it is released, customers have moved on. Since customers are constantly bombarded with marketing messages, their purchasing decisions rely on their immediate needs being met, so timing is everything. Ensure that your marketing campaigns are lined up in a way that guarantees that you are maximizing your reach and engagement.

The truth is, no one is going to complain about sudden positive changes within your business that came without a formal announcement. Implementing a reward system? No need to announce it beforehand. Hosting a sale? Announcing it too early is not going to do your business any good. Let things be spontaneous—your customers will be excited to know that you have been diligently working on new things. If you already have the right marketing channels in place, like social media, you can quickly announce these things just in time for customers to take part.


05

Offer rewards & incentives

If there is one thing that is sure to impress your customers, it is seeing that you are giving out rewards and incentives to returning customers. It is not often that a business surprises its customers with free products, so reward programs are a very good way to create a loyal community. Allowing your customers a discount after spending a certain amount of money, or giving them a free product after a certain number of purchases, will make them more likely to return to your business over a competitor’s. 

Of course, if not done correctly, these reward systems can work against you, so it is important that you plan it out properly and make sure you can implement it without it costing your business in the long run. The good thing about having rewards as incentives is that it might be what causes your business to grow quicker in popularity, which is why it is worth implementing so long as you are prepared. Having to remove a rewards program later down the line is not going to be good for your reputation, so be sure to plan it out so that you can justify these expenses and guarantee a return on your investment.

Luseta Beauty is a company we discovered that has this all figured out. The way they bring rewards to their most loyal customers is through various ways to earn “petals”, which they have used to term their rewards points. From free shipping and vouchers to free products and birthday petals, they are making it fun to shop with them. Why would customers not want to be rewarded for the things they buy? They also offer access to exclusive promotions and tester panels with different tiers depending on how much customers spend within a year.


06

Listen to feedback

It is not often that a customer gets to feel the reward of having taken part in the development or improvement of a business. It helps the customer to feel valued, and it shows that the brand itself cares about what its customers want. Taking feedback from your customers and using it to improve your business can be a great way to show that you value your customers, and are committed to providing a positive experience for them.

When you ask for and act on customer feedback, you are showing your customers that their opinion matters. This can help build trust with your customers in a day and age where the customer really influences every aspect of a business. It can also be a big differentiator in today's crowded market and can lead to increased customer retention and referrals.


Takeaways

Overall, impressing customers is about much more than just delivering a product or service. It is about customer service, being a trusted solution, and building a relationship with those who choose to do business with you when they could have easily gone elsewhere. Let them know that they are valued and that they made the right decision. When customers see that you are not just in business for profit, but rather to deliver an exceptional experience and provide long-term value, they will be more committed to your brand and look to you for their future needs.

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Ensure Your Marketing Business Gets Paid On Time
HLL x Ensure Your Marketing Business Get Paid on Time

Have a pricing guide to present to your clients that showcases all of your services and payment terms.

Running your own marketing business can be a gratifying way to earn a living on your terms doing something you love, but it can be pretty stressful at times, especially when you are struggling to get a client to pay you on time.

There is nothing worse than when a client will not settle their invoice. You spend too much time chasing them and stressing about what you will do if the money does not come through. The good news is there are several things you can do to ensure your marketing business gets paid on time.


01

Send prompt invoices

Using software to send payment invoices automatically when a job is complete is an excellent way to get paid on time because the sooner you send the invoice, the sooner it is likely to be actioned by the client. It does not always work out that way, but as a good first step, immediately sending out your invoices is helpful, and it is simple to do with an automated system.


02

Create clear terms and conditions

Right from the start, when working with a client, no matter who it is, you should ensure that you have a written contract with transparent terms and conditions around every aspect of your time working together, including payment timescales.

By creating a detailed contract, you will ensure that both parties know what is expected of them, and you can ask for payment at a specific time. You can also create a clause that lays out the fees you will charge for late payments and what will happen if a payment is not forthcoming so that you have legal recourse should the worst happen and the client refuses to pay despite you holding up your end of the bargain.


Hello Lovely Living

Have a company profile to present o your clients. It includes a pricing guide so that all bases are covered prior to you working together.

03

Track payments

One thing you should always do as a small marketing business is to track the payment patterns of your regular clients. Doing this is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of your company not being paid on time or, even worse, not being paid at all.

If you track payment patterns and you find, for example, that X company always pays a month late or that you have to endlessly chase Y company to pay at all, then you can make decisions about firming up their contracts so that they settle their debt in a more timely manner. You could also opt to refuse to continue business with them at all if it is too time-consuming and stressful to chase them. This will put your business in a much better position from now on and reduce the odds of you losing money in the future.


04

Offer incentives

If you are struggling to get paid on time, then take a leaf out of the marketing playbook and offer your clients incentives to pay just like you would create incentives for customers to buy products from your clients.

If you offer, say, a 10 percent discount for early payers or a freebie for clients who pay on time when it comes to them making their next order, you will find those slow payers suddenly become prompt at paying off their invoices., and everyone wins. Of course, only do this if you can afford to do so, and it is built into your business plan, but if it is viable for you, it can be very effective indeed.


05

Offer more payment options

Something else that can help your marketing business to get paid on time is offering multiple payment options--from Paypal to credit cards to bank transfers. By providing a wide range of options, you are making it easier for your clients to complete the transaction, which means they are less likely to hold off on doing so until they can find a convenient time in their window.

It has never been easier to set up numerous payment options, so there is no reason not to do this if you want to get paid on time and have an easier time planning your company's cash flow in the future.

Not getting paid on time sucks, but you can vastly reduce your chances of having it happen to you by simply incorporating some or, even better, all of the strategies above into your business model going forward. If you want to be paid promptly, these changes will help.


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5 Digital Marketing Tips For Beginners
Hello Lovely Living

A consistent brand message across your digital marketing channels builds trust with your brand. Need branding, graphic design, or digital marketing help? Get in touch

If you are new to digital marketing, you might feel overwhelmed by the many tools, strategies, and platforms you must master. However, you will learn that digital marketing is not as complicated as it seems. In fact, with a few essential tips and best practices, you can start creating compelling campaigns that reach your target audience and grow your business online.

Here are some digital marketing tips for beginners that will help you get started:

01

Define your goals and audience

Before you launch any digital marketing campaign, you need a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach. Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or build brand awareness? Who are your ideal customers, and what are their needs, preferences, and pain points? A clear goal and target audience will help you choose your campaign's channels, messages, and tactics.

02

Choose the right platform

Many digital marketing platforms, such as social media, email, search engines, websites, blogs, podcasts, videos, and more, are available. However, you do not need to use them all. Instead, focus on the most relevant platforms to your goals and audience. For example, to reach young people interested in fashion, you might want to use Instagram and TikTok. For professionals looking for solutions to their business problems, you might use LinkedIn and Google Ads.

HLL x Beginner Digital Marketing Tips

A consistent brand message across your digital marketing channels builds trust with your brand. Need branding, graphic design, or digital marketing help? Get in touch

03

Create valuable content

Content, including video content, is the core of any digital marketing campaign. It is what attracts, engages, and converts your audience. But not all content is created equal. Create valuable content for your audience, meaning that it provides helpful information, solves their problems, entertains them, or inspires them, with a focus on quality video content to enhance viewer engagement.

If you are a beginner, you can use an easy to use video editor for effective video editing for your video content. The content you create must also be relevant to your brand, reflecting your values, personality, and unique selling proposition. Finally, create consistent content across all platforms and channels, following the same tone of voice, style, and format, ensuring that video content is seamlessly integrated and aligned with your overall content strategy.

04

Optimize your content for SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is the process of improving your content's visibility and ranking on search engines like Google or Bing. SEO is vital because it helps you reach more potential customers searching for topics related to your business or industry. To optimize your content for SEO, you must do keyword research and find out what words and phrases your audience uses to search for your products or services. Include the relevant keywords in your content's title, headings, body text, images, and meta tags. You must also ensure your content is easy to read, fast to load, and mobile-friendly.

Now is also a wise time to look into implementing a Google reputation management strategy. This will go hand in hand with SEO and help boost your visibility and increase traffic to your site. It’s also an opportunity to use SEO and reputation management techniques to grow your business.

05

Measure and improve your results

The last tip for digital marketing beginners is to track and analyze your campaign's performance and results. This will help you understand what works and what does not work in your digital marketing strategy and how you can improve it over time. A few metrics you can measure include impressions, clicks, conversions, bounce rate, engagement rate, and return on investment (ROI). Use tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights to collect and visualize your data. A/B testing or surveys can also be used to experiment with different variations of your content and see which one performs better.

Takeaways

Digital marketing is one of the fastest-growing segments in the online space. Content is king, and digital marketing is the vehicle in which content reaches the right audience. By utilizing the right digital marketing tools, software, and apps on the market, you could benefit from the vast amount of resources to help your business thrive.



How To Manage Your Time As A Freelancer
Hello Lovely Living

This month, Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland celebrated their 5th birthday celebration at Upside Pizza in NYC. They have been successful in understanding their customers’ needs since the launch of their flagship product, the Jet Lag Mask, and have since launched many other products. Their nostalgic pop-up events like this one with a Self-Care shop incorporate the iconic Summer Fridays branding to achieve a memorable experience for their customers.

01

Understand Your Customers’ Schedules 

Many freelancers paid by the hour must abide by time clock rules. This often means they are responsible for logging their working hours and dedicating a set amount of time each day to a project. Understand your customer schedules and how it corresponds to your routine. Ensure you are fulfilling your contractual obligations, especially when it is tied to whether you get paid.

02

Stick To A Routine

As a freelancer, you are largely responsible for managing your time. We all have routines, and you know what works best for you. But basic rules like the time you get up, eat, and sleep will help you stick to a routine and avoid you working unusual hours that leave you feeling run-down. Try to work a set amount of hours each day, take regular breaks and create a schedule that will help you stay consistent.

03

Set Boundaries With Clients

Make it clear to your clients when you are available. If you are working with clients outside your time zone, try to find some overlap in your working day where you can connect if needed. Respect your boundaries and ensure your clients know exactly when you are and aren’t reachable. This will also help establish a good working relationship with your customers and give you a clear work-life boundary.

04

Seek Financial Advice

Seeking financial advice can directly tie into the hours you work. If you are having cash flow problems, the earlier you know, the quicker you can explore new avenues for business growth and regain control of your time. The more money you earn is directly tied to the hours you work as a freelancer, so keeping on top of finances avoids spiraling hours to make up for financial losses in the business.

It is also best to pay attention to common personal and business expenses that can easily be prevented by choosing a bank that has no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, and free ATMs. These common expenses can add up, so this decision will be very important to avoid unnecessary expenses down the road. We are impressed with Chime because it checks off all the boxes and makes banking smarter. Earn $100 when you join Chime. Learn more.

HLL x Creative Market x Social Media Template + Themes

Social media template and theme planning and scheduling tools can automate daily tasks that are often time-consuming.

05

Use A Project Management Tool

A project management tool like Asana can help you organize your time and meet your schedule and deadlines. When you are extremely busy, a project management tool can help keep you on track and ensure you can complete your projects to deadline and budget. Project management tools can help you break down large tasks into more manageable ones so that you can be more effective with your time.

06

Make Sure You Switch Off

Managing work-life balance as a freelancer can be challenging. Nonetheless, switching off is an essential part of being effective. Make time for yourself, whether protecting your hour lunch break or ensuring you finish at a reasonable time in the evenings. Do what helps you switch off best, whether that’s playing a video game or going for a run. 

HLL x Creative Market x Social Media Template + Themes

Get social media templates and themes, scheduling tools, and graphic design support to help you be efficient with daily marketing tasks.

07

Invest In Automation

Automation can help you win back vital time as a freelancer. You might invest in social media planning and scheduling, automated email marketing campaigns, or prompts to potential customers that leave their cart on your eCommerce site. You can look at opportunities to automate tasks like sending invoices or payment follow-ups to help you win back time you can spend on other areas of your business.


08

Define A Reminder Schedule For Payments

Spending valuable time chasing your invoices? Setting a reminder payment schedule is vital to appearing professional and saving time. Following up on overdue invoices is stressful and, when done manually, can eat into your working hours. Setting clear reminders and payment deadlines is vital to saving yourself time as a freelancer.


09

Get To Grips With tracking your time

Do you know how long it takes you to complete tasks? An accurate picture of your tasks can help you manage your working hours and get the right project timelines. It also ties into your payments. Recording your timelines ensures you set accurate prices for your goods and services. Underestimate your hours, and you risk getting both underpaid and working extra hours to complete pieces of work.


10

Block Off Time

Blocking off chunks of time to focus on specific tasks can help you get into a flow state and manage your workload better. A flow state refers to becoming fully immersed in whatever you are doing. It describes when people achieve their best work with focus and clarity. Giving yourself allocated hours to focus on specific tasks can help you achieve a flow state and make the most of your time. Physically block off hours in your calendar to complete your projects.


11

Document Everything

Document all your workflows and processes. Identifying your business operations can help you identify where you can streamline and template your work. It is also great when your mind is blank, as you can refer back to something you have drafted previously as a prompt. Documentation is great to review as your business scales, as it can be used to train new employees or collaborators quickly and effectively.


12

Give Yourself Buffer Time

Even if it takes you three hours to complete a task, it doesn’t mean you should only give yourself three hours. Buffer time is essential as a freelancer. It protects you on days you feel tired and ill, days your boiler breaks or your internet goes down. You don’t need to cram your working days with constantly focused work. Give yourself some buffer time to protect yourself against life’s unforeseen events. 

If you are questioning the value of buffer time as part of your hourly rate, it is still essential. You and your clients would be much happier if you built in time for fact-checking, proofing, and project revisions.


Takeaways

It can be tough to manage your time as a freelancer. Fortunately, resources like project management software and financial advice can help you manage your time as a small business owner. Sticking to a routine, setting clear client boundaries, and managing your timelines are important resources for working effectively. There are also many chances to automate and save time, including drafting documentation, setting reminder schedules, and investing in automation. Try these tips today and see how it helps you manage your freelance business.

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A Discussion: Are Online Digital Marketing Classes The Best Fit For You
HLL x Social Media Marketing

Working your social media marketing business from here—wouldn’t it be lovely? @hellolovelyliving

Before we dive into the world of online digital marketing classes, we should first start with a few questions:

What is digital marketing?

Simply put, digital marketing is any marketing done electronically, be it online or even a digital poster on a sign in a store to reach consumers. Most digital marketing happens on the internet.

What types of digital marketing are there?

There are several types of digital marketing. One familiar type of digital marketing is SEO, or "search engine optimization". This is why when you enter a search query in the google search bar, the first few results are usually advertisements. Another type of digital marketing that people are most familiar with is social media marketing. We have all seen the "sponsored" posts as we scroll through our online news feeds. This is the use of social media platforms to promote a product or service.

there are classes I can take that teach me how to digitally market a particular product or service?

Yes. Traditionally, classes were taken on campus, but as mankind is ever-evolving into a digital world, classes can be taken more commonly online. Additionally, with the ongoing global pandemic where social distancing is not only recommended but mandated in most places, online digital marketing classes are progressively becoming more desirable versus taking a class on campus or through a local public library.

Another amazing benefit of online classes is flexibility

These days, the world is busier than ever. From an economic standpoint, it takes two incomes to financially support a family comfortably. By taking classes online, you are able to set a schedule that works for you to accommodate your daily demands. This allows flexibility in how you manage your time between any lectures that need to be watched, workshops and homework that need to be done, and exams that need to be taken.

Another big benefit that is huge in terms of the decision of whether to take classes online or on campus in a classroom setting is you can work on assignments and read on the go. Say you are on your lunch break at work; by taking your classes online, you can tote your device with you and do your work while you are on your breaks. The point is online classes not only allow for flexibility in scheduling but in how and where you work.

Now, this last point is crucial

Being that we are discussing online digital marketing classes, by taking them online, you are literally able to transfer what you have learned from the classroom to the practical application in real time. You are able to take things learned through the course of your classes and apply them right then to see how they apply as you go. Now, apps like Canva also enable you to create content such as social media posts and videos on the go making it easy to be efficient with your time.

Say you already have a business or something else that requires marketing of some type. By taking digital marketing classes online, you could theoretically plug in your real-life company or whatever you are marketing into the space where an example is used in the lesson. Then, you tackle two birds with one stone. You gain positive lesson experience for the class and promote the business that you are actively marketing.

Takeaways

It is easy to see how taking digital marketing classes online rather than in a traditional campus setting is the right approach to effectively gain knowledge and experience concurrently. With all of life’s distractions and the business of daily life in a fast-paced world, finding flexibility and something more suited to your individual lifestyle is essential in avoiding burnout. Thankfully, in an environment that is constantly evolving, there is a space for everyone to achieve work-life balance.



Do You Need A Degree For A Social Media Marketing Career?

Social media marketing is a fast-paced and ever-changing field. To stay competitive, you must keep up with the latest trends and understand how to use new technologies to your advantage. The question is, do you need a degree to become a social media marketer?

In this article, learn the key skills you need, explore social media marketing opportunities from Get Plus Followers Review, gain inspiration for Instagram feed themes, designs, and styles; and gain tips for acquiring social media marketing skills without a degree.

What Skills and Knowledge Do I Need To Start Social Media Marketing?

As with any business field, there are specific skills and knowledge that you will need in order to be successful in a career in social media marketing.

A few skills that are essential include:

  1. Creativity and strong writing skills

  2. Understanding of social media algorithms and best practices

  3. Knowledge of graphic design and visual content creation

  4. Familiarity with analytics and metrics

  5. Understanding of SEO

How Can I Acquire Social Media Marketing Skills Without A Degree?

While it is true that a degree in marketing or communications will give you a leg up when it comes to career opportunities and earning potential, there are other ways to gain the skills and knowledge needed for social media marketing. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

01

Join social networking sites and connect with marketing experts

Joining social networking sites and connecting with social media marketing experts via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram is a way to cut down on the learning curve. Connecting with others within the field allows you to gain industry knowledge and build your skills in the process. You can learn from them simply by following their feeds, commenting on their posts, and asking questions about their work.

02

Build your personal brand and manage social media channels

Start by creating a website where you can share your accomplishments and credentials with potential employers, then use social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram to build an audience for yourself. Make sure that all of your profiles include links back to your website or blog.

03

Gain hands-on experience through internships or on-the-job training

If you have access to an internship or become an intern at a company where you want to work full-time, ask if it would be possible to shadow someone in their department who is doing the type of job that most closely resembles the position you desire.

takeaways

Overall, it is important to note that while having a degree in social media marketing can be beneficial, it is not necessarily a requirement to be successful in the field. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to determine the best path for them in order to succeed in the field of social media marketing.

If you are a business needing help with your social media marketing, get in touch with us!

We offer services such as designing your Instagram feed theme and style, content creation, and ongoing support.



Guest Post | Design Matters: An interview with branding expert Debbie Millman

I’m back with another post, and today we’re talking about a few important tips to creating a brand presence that is authentic to you. On this blog, I love to discuss topics that are real and often vulnerable, and in this article, we reinforce the idea of getting outside of our comfort zones.

I often work with women that are starting a brand new blog or website, and if there’s any advice that I try to share with them from the get-go, it is exactly the advice that you will read in this article. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it inspires you to just get out there are share your story (struggles and all), be yourself, and be confident in it all.

 
hellolovelyliving
 

We recently got the opportunity to sit down with Debbie Millman: author, educator, curator, and host of the podcast Design Mattersone of the world's first and longest-running podcasts. 

As the host of Design Matters, Millman has interviewed over 400 artists, designers, and cultural commentators. In the 13 years since its inception, the show has garnered over five million downloads per year, honored with a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, and designated one of the best overall podcasts by iTunes. 

Debbie is the author of six books and President Emeritus of AIGA, one of five women to hold the position in the organization’s 100-year history. She's a frequent speaker on design and branding and has been a juror for competitions including Cannes Lions, The Clio’s, the One Club and many, many more.

Here, she shares her thoughts on authenticity and vulnerability in branding and life. 


Debbie, tell us a little bit about yourself.  

I am a designer, an author, and an educator at the School of Visual Arts. I co-founded and run a graduate program in branding. I'm also the host of a podcast called Design Matters.
 

What tips can you offer to someone who wants to create a new brand presence for themselves?

Well, I wouldn't recommend that someone ever recreate themselves; I would recommend that they feature who they are on their best day, in a way that feels very authentic and true to their soul and being. People tend to respond more favorably to people that are being themselves, and, in many ways, holding that "freak" flag really high, because they can then relate and be able to connect with them in a much more visceral manner.

So, my recommendation would be to celebrate who you are on your best day, speak from the heart, and offer an opportunity for people to get to know who you really are.
 

A lot of people are hesitant to really put themselves out there. What would you say to them?

Watch Brené Brown's TED Talk about vulnerability. I really, truly believe that vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, and you can't be creative and say something that is going to touch or reach other people unless you are doing it with your own open heart. So there really is no choice. If you're not comfortable with being vulnerable, my strong recommendation would be to get comfortable being vulnerable, because why else would anybody want to get to know you or pay attention to what you have to say? What are they getting to know, then? Some false friend?
 

How can people get out of their comfort zone and become more authentic?

Take small steps, small moves. You don't have to reveal everything about your childhood in your first email, but if you can share some part of yourself that you feel is worthy of connecting with other people, and people will feel is honest, then why wouldn't you want to do that?

That's what people want to know about you. They don't want to know all of the successes and all of the amazing things you're doing. They want to know how you've struggled, or how you've overcome an obstacle, or what lesson you learned in the process of doing something. And the more you can share that, I think the more value it has, both to yourself and to others.


Specifically, what kind of value does sharing your failures provide?

Well, everybody has experienced failure. And if you aren't able or capable of sharing what you've done wrong, why would anybody care if you're sharing what you've done right? And I feel that if we're putting a face forward that's only positive and only impressive, then we're manufacturing our meaning, because that's only one small part of what it means to be human, and strive, and long for things, and create things, and make things. And there is none of that without failure, rejection, vulnerability, fear. All of those things are just part of the process of being a maker.

 

Are there any particular failures or struggles that you can recount from your professional career that helped you become who you are today?

Well, almost anything I've done has been fueled by an enormous amount of rejection, whether it be book ideas, business ideas, or new pitches. My past is riddled and littered with rejections and failures. But, there are very few that I can actually look back on now and say, "I didn't either learn something, or overcome something to get to a better place, or create something out of that failure, that then became successful."

And, of course, it's easy to look back on it and say in hindsight, "Well, if that hadn't happened, then that wouldn't have happened, and then that wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't be sitting right here," but I can tell you that it's really true.

 

Are there any other places that you turn to for inspiration in your career? 

Well, I love to read. I love to learn, so for me, some of the people that I'm either mentored by or inspired by are people like Seth Godin, who is one of the most generous, smartest, kindest people on the planet. And he does a daily blog, seven days a week, and so you can get daily morning inspiration from him. Also, Steven Heller. He's somebody that has also been enormously supportive and helpful to me, and mentored me, and inspired me, and educated me in ways that I could never have imagined. So those are two people, on a daily basis, that I turn to, both personally and professionally, online and offline.

 

Finally: What's your number one tip for brands who want to create a better connection with their audience?

Think about the benefit you can provide your audience. People aren't really interested in another form, or another flavor. They're interested in what kind of difference you can make in their lives. So, what can you offer your audience that will help them grow, help them become more successful, help them learn something that they wouldn't have expected or had the opportunity to do? What can you offer your audience that no one else can?

 

Interested in hearing more from Debbie? Check out her podcast, Design Matters

 
hellolovelyliving
 

I hope you enjoyed that short inspirational post. I know how hard it is to be vulnerable, especially in this online space. I can personally say that I have shrunk back a little just due to a lot that has happened within the past couple years within my personal life. I feel like I have a lot to share, but I don’t know where to start. It can be overwhelming. It IS tough to share our struggles, but at the end of the day, that is what helps us get through them.

Lately I’ve just been feeling the pressure to have it all together. Perhaps this opens a new chapter for me to share more struggles that I’ve been through. This interview really brought me back to why I’m here in the first place. I want to continue to create a space that is inspiring and real. This may be the start for more sharing and being confident in my imperfect story.

A special thank you to Emma for this guest post. They have many amazing marketing resources to help you with your online business. I especially enjoy their Email Showdown series where they compare the email marketing of two brands. I highly recommend their resources, so do check them out if you are needing help with email marketing and want marketing tips from the pros!

In addition, if you are needing help developing your brand, I am here to help you from start to finish. Get in touch with me here for a free consultation.

is being vulnerable something that you struggle with and how? i’d love to have a discussion below.