By studying our reflection, we become more aware of what makes us truly unique and special.
How important are font choices are in developing your brand identity? Very! Read Font Psychology 101 to learn why.
A review of font in design throughout history.
Learn tips, hear advice, take action steps, and watch videos to become more productive.
Did you realize that if you have a Gmail account, you’re already on Google+? To get to your profile, simply log into your Gmail account, go to the upper right corner, click on the image on the far right, then click Google+ profile. It’s that simple. Be sure you’ve uploaded a nice head shot and filled out the About section as descriptively as possible. It’s so nice having such quick and easy access to a social media account.
Other social networks have become so large and overpopulated that it’s hard to have meaningful conversations. Well, meaningful conversations is where Google+ excels. While a major social network, Google+ is still relatively small, making it a lot easier to chat with others, and to reach potential clients and influencers.
On Google Plus, there are no friend requests. Simply add or remove whomever you want from your circles at any time.
The coolest thing about Google Plus? Circles. Circles actually mimic real-life relationships. It is a natural way to manage your friendships. Choose from Friends, Family, or Acquaintances, and add your own categories to better organize how you connect with others. With Circles you can choose to post to a specific group, or allow all of your Circles to see. Awesome.
As the reigning King of Online Search, Google is THE place for you to create a page for your business. It will increase the visibility of your business and your ranking.
Google Plus has one thing Facebook and Twitter do not have…their own browser (Chrome).
G+ lets me assign a privacy level to the content that I share at the moment that I share it. Safer sharing rocks.
Google’s “data liberation” feature means you can pack up your data and go at any time. You can download the data associated with your Google Account to take with you to another service, or simply to keep a copy for your own records. How cool is that?! Learn how here: http://bit.ly/1uxYKmW.
Google owns YouTube, the second largest search engine in the world. When you create a YouTube channel you immediately also have a Google account. Connecting your account to your YouTube channel will ensure your videos are predominantly featured on Google+ and vice versa. Crossing social networks is huge.
Google Hangouts is a communication platform developed by Google which features instant messaging, video chat, SMS and VOIP features. With Hangouts, you can have a one-on-one conversation with a friend, or be a part of a large group conversation. Start a hangout with your friends or just learn more about the best group messaging app available today here: https://
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Is Wix really too good to be true? Yes. Here’s 6 reasons why you should avoid Wix.
Follow these 7 common practices and make your next post go viral.
Key hashtag strategies and how your business should be using them for strategic marketing on social sites.
Consumers should be shopping local for a whole list of reasons. Here are ten reasons to ditch the big box chain and stop at the mom and pop shop.
Get started on your Start-Up by deciding what you need to do to make sure your business stands apart from the competition. The best way to do this is to figure out who your target audience is and focus on the services you can provide to grab them. Start by admitting to yourself that you just can’t do it all. No one can and no one should. You need to determine your niche. Read the article “7 Steps to Defining Your Niche Market” at http://entm.ag/1CUj5sr to get started or, for those of you with an established business already, narrow down your target for more successful marketing strategies.
Every business should have a mission statement, business goals, a marketing plan, and (of course) estimates for start-up costs. You should also have a good idea how much you can expect to earn as a business owner. If you need to, contact an Accountant and/or an Attorney to help you figure everything out. To begin, register and build your business plan at www.SBA.gov.
Once you’ve decided to start a business, then comes the fun part: Building your brand. Choose a name for your business and register it as a “DBA” or “Doing Business As” with the county or state tax office. Next, choose a domain name and purchase it from a domain registrar such as Go Daddy (for tips on how to choose your domain name, read this article: http://bit.ly/1IyUx6x). Having your brand established and well-designed marketing materials from the beginning is a great foundation for every small business, and will allow you to look like the professional that you are from the get-go.
While many women find it difficult to promote themselves, as a business owner it’s a must. You need to be your own spin doctor. Talk up your business and the services that you offer wherever you go. Always keep business cards handy, and pass them out as often as possible. Post press releases and other news about your business on your website and social media accounts, as well as testimonials from satisfied customers. Volunteer your services at local events, for area groups and schools, and every other opportunity that will allow you to showcase your talents and get your business noticed.
Finally, remember that mom-owned businesses tend to grow organically. How much your business can grow at a given time will be determined by the amount of time you have available to dedicate to your business. Growing slowly and steadily will give you more control over work versus family time, as well as offer you more flexibility. Creating a healthy balance between your professional and personal life is what we all crave.
If you’re a Mompreneur and don’t have a profile on Google Plus, add it to your “to do” list today. When time is of the essence, getting the most bang for your buck is key to growing your business and brand on social media. With the power of the Google search engines behind it, G+ is the place for your business to be. Read some great tips on how to use Google Plus to grow your online presence and build your business here: http://bit.ly/1bOrj9O
Ever met a Mom who didn’t love to take pictures? I haven’t. Go to any sporting event or dance recital and the Momarazzi is in full force. Why not take that skill and use it to market your business? Instagram has more than 300 million monthly active users. Visual content marketing is hot, so take advantage of it. Read this article “5 Clever Ways to Grow Your Business on Instagram” to get started: http://bit.ly/1zR8uhB
For anyone familiar with online training, you’ve probably heard of Lynda.com. In April, Lynda.com became a LinkedIn company. Why is this awesome? Because LinkedIn is now offering a 30 day free trial to Lynda.com for users with premium accounts or 21 days free for non-paying LinkedIn users. Non-LinkedIn users can try it free but only for 10 days.
Not on LinkedIn? Really? What are you waiting for? Learn how to market your business with the LinkedIn Small Business Marketing Playbook here: http://linkd.in/1LfnyKm
Many Mompreneurs focus their social media marketing on Facebook because, not only are they familiar with the network, but most of their friends and family are already there. But over time, Facebook has changed the way they treat business pages, and it’s not been in our favor. Many marketing strategies now include the need to run Facebook ads. While most of us do not have a huge marketing budget, we can still achieve good results on a small budget. Check out this article from the Social Media Examiner on how to get results from Facebook ads when you’re on a tight budget. http://bit.ly/1BlfiFL
Owning a business by yourself can be difficult and often lonely. When it comes to getting new business, word of mouth is incredibly important. Connecting with other area businesses is a great way to expand your customer reach. Alignable is a social network that connects local business communities. Make and receive recommendations, share events, learn from other business owners, and co-market with your favorite area businesses. The more you connect with local business owners, the more you will get in return. That is what Alignable is all about. Check out this video https://youtu.be/1hlfiaFwiEY, join Alignable at http://site.alignable.com, and let’s all connect with each other!
Best selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford once said “Successful women don’t sleep until noon.” Obviously, no mother can sleep until noon. But the routine of waking up early has always been a practice of highly successful people. Why? Because productive mornings start with early wake-up calls. Any Mompreneueur knows time is a precious commodity. So before the day gets consumed by phone calls, meetings, projects, and kids, the early morning hours are the perfect time to get things done, or at least get a jumpstart on the tasks ahead. Starting off in a productive manner leads to better time-management throughout the remainder of the day.
You may be a savvy business woman by day, but by night you’re Mom and everyone looks to you to take care of them. Especially when they are hungry. A great time-management practice is to partially precook dinners for the entire week on Sunday. Plan a weekly menu and do necessary preparations. For some great recipes that can be done ahead of time, check out these suggestions from Real Simple: http://bit.ly/1x7hfBP.
It can be hard, but knowing how to prioritize tasks effectively is an essential part of any time-management strategy. Start by determining which tasks are most urgent. What about when everything is important? Check out this article from Inc.com on how to prioritize when everything is a priority: http://bit.ly/Re1K8b
Do you know we can lose as much as two hours a day to distractions? Whether they come from emails, IM chats, or phone calls from clients, distractions prevent us from managing our time wisely. Distractions can be especially troublesome when working from home. If you want to gain control of your day, you need to minimize distractions. Check out this article from entrepreneur.com on how to manage distractions when working out of your home: http://entm.ag/1i3xaJe.
For those Mompreneurs working on multiple projects at once, a great way to stay focused and productive is to use a countdown timer. I used to create a daily list that showed when I planned to work on different projects throughout the day. I found, though, I often swayed from that schedule. Using a timer is the best way to keep me focused and alert me to when I need to move on to the next project.
“When I use countdown timers, my pace speeds up because I want to beat the clock. The timer also brings me back from being immersed in creative flow in between client sessions.” – Sherlyn Pang Luedtke, mompreneur founder of Present Parent Training
Having a healthy work/life balance is key for every Mompreneur.
How I accidentally became a Mompreneur
Why is WordPress security so important?
To keep a WordPress website safe and secure, you must be vigilant about updates and security. When a website is running outdated software, it’s prone to malicious attacks. Keeping your website safe should be a regular part of your business. Frequently monitoring your website is the best way to become familiar with it and catch problems early on.
I’m afraid I’ll forget to do this. Should I enable automatic updates?
I do not recommended automatic updates. Before making any updates to a website, be sure to have a backup of the site. WordPress core updates can cause conflicts with themes and plugins. It’s important to have a backup just in case the update does not run smoothly. Also, it’s best to update outdated software one at a time so you can check how each update performs. If there is a conflict, it will be easier to spot which update is the problem.
Do I need to update my theme files too?
Absolutely. Theme updates have security and bug fixes. But proceed with caution. Theme updates can cause a drastic change to the design of the site if a lot of customizations were made during the design process. Be sure you know where the custom changes are before making a theme update so those customizations are not lost.
I don’t feel comfortable making updates to my website. What should I do?
Maintaining a WordPress website is tedious and technical. Erin Sweeney Design now offers ESD Technical Support services. Purchase a maintenance package (monthly, every other month, or quarterly packages available) and let ESD do the work.
What is ESD Technical Support, and why should I use this service?
Security
Keeping all programs and plugins up to date will protect your site and reduce the ability for hackers to attack.
Peace of Mind
At ESD, I have years of experience with WordPress website maintenance. Let a professional handle your maintenance needs.
Be Proactive
Regular maintenance prevents problems, saving your business money in the long run.
WordPress Maintenance Package
Packages can be purchased monthly, every other month, or quarterly. Pricing starts at $60 (additional fee will occur if website is more than a year outdated, or for websites that require additional work due to more complicated and custom updates)
Service includes:
- Create backup of database files
- WordPress and plugin upgrades to latest version
- Remove spam comments
- Check and repair broken links
- Complete website review
Additional services are available. These include: (contact ESD for pricing information)
- Monitoring of website traffic, analysis, and reporting
- Technical tweaks (e.g., design, SEO improvements, training or support)
- Search engine configuration and set up
- Plugin and website change recommendations
Sign up today and be on your way to website security and peace of mind!
Great infographic from KISSmetrics explaining the important role color plays when designing for different genders. Business owners need to take into consideration who their target audience is when developing the colors they will use for their brand. Men and women appreciate colors differently. Understanding those differences, and designing for the target audience in mind, will lead to success in marketing your business.
The color wheel is the basic tool for combining colors. First created by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666, today the most common version is a wheel of 12 colors based on the RYB (red, yellow, and blue) color model. These are the Primary Colors (red, yellow, and blue). Primary Colors are colors from which all other colors are derived. The next category is Secondary Colors (purple, green, and orange). These colors are formed by mixing the primary colors. Tertiary Colors are formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color, giving the color a two word name such as yellow-orange and blue-green. The Color Wheel is an important tool for any designer as it easily shows what colors go well together. Color harmonies are color combinations, consisting of 2 or more colors, that have a fixed relation on the color wheel. These combinations are considered pleasing to the eye. Harmony creates a sense of order and balance. It engages the viewer. The human brain rejects what it can not organize or understand. It seeks a visually balanced experience. When colors look good together, it’s believed that it makes people feel good. That is why color harmony is so important in branding.
Color Harmonies: Complimentary Color Scheme
Colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel are called complimentary colors. Combining these colors creates a very vibrant combination because the contrast is high, but it can be tricky to work with. Complimentary colors work well when the design needs to stand out. Some examples of complimentary color schemes are purple and yellow, red and green, and blue and orange.
Color Harmonies: Analogous Color Scheme
Analogous colors are next to each other on a color wheel. These colors match very well, but lack the high contrast of a complimentary color scheme. They are less vibrant. In design, this color scheme includes one dominant color, one supporting color, and one color used as an accent. Analogous colors are often found in nature, such as when the leaves change to their fall colors (red, red-orange, and red-violet). Another example of an analogous color scheme is light blue, green, and light green.
Color Harmonies: Triadic Color Scheme
This scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. This is a very vibrant color scheme. In design, it’s important to have balance when using a triadic color scheme. One color should be dominate, while the other two are used as accent colors. An example of a triadic color scheme is purple, orange, and green.