Day: July 28, 2022

Using Canva for Your Small Business

Using Canva for Your Small Business

If you are on social media, you’d know how important visual content is. In today’s digital age, visuals actually weigh as much as text (or maybe even more) and it’s something that you need to put your efforts in.

While text-based content is an integral part of marketing, the use of visual content will set you apart from others. It will bring life and more engagement to your overall marketing content. And that is where a design tool comes in, which in this case is Canva.

Why do small businesses need Canva and how significant is it really for your online efforts?

What is Canva?

Canva is an online user-friendly graphic design tool that can be used by anyone regardless of graphic design experience to create visual pieces for personal or business purposes. It has a free and paid version. The paid version is highly recommended as it unlocks so many features that will be very helpful for you to create your materials according to your brand.

Canva can be used for pretty much any marketing collateral. Anything from business cards to brochures to media kits, to PowerPoint presentations to infographics, you can design all of them and more in Canva.

Setting Up Your Canva Account

Create your Account

Upon creating an account, you’ll be able to access the free features of Canva. If you are creating an account for business purposes, we highly recommend you get the paid plan. If you’re having doubts if the paid plan is worth it, you can avail of a free trial for 30 days to experience it.

Setup your Brand Kit

With a pro plan, you’ll be able to make a brand kit. This feature is very helpful in creating professional branded designs for your business. Upload your brand colors, logos, fonts, etc. Your brand kit will be available to access whenever you create a new design making your life easier.

To learn more about Canva Pro, here’s an in-depth review of it.

Canva Tips and Tricks

Lock Feature

When editing and organizing your design, the lock feature is a great tool. By selecting an item that’s already in the perfect position, you can lock them so they won’t move when you’re editing anything else.

This lock feature works great with larger items. You can toggle this feature on and off whenever you need it.

The Canva Brand Kit

You can find the brand kit on the left side of your home dashboard. This feature is a time-saver and very helpful to keep you organized, but this is only available for Pro users.

You can save your brand logo, fonts, and colors under this feature and they will readily be available whenever you make a new design.

Canva Page Manager

This is a great tool that will let you customize the appearance of how your project looks on your screen. You can find this at the bottom right-hand side of your screen.

The Canva Page Manager lets you select a full-screen view, a bird’s eye view layout of your project, as well as different magnification of each design. You can also move your pages around, delete them one by one, and duplicate them according to your needs.

This feature is very useful when you are working with large documents. Another tool that makes life easier, tbh!

Hyperlinks

This tool is very helpful when you are making ebooks and PDFs. Hyperlinks will allow your viewers to click on the links in your PDF.

To create a hyperlink, just highlight the text you want to make a link to. Once you’ve selected the text, click the link icon on the top right-hand side, add in the URL for your link, and click apply.

Just remember that the links will only work when the document is downloaded as a PDF.

Instant Image Background Remover

Another wonderful feature of the Canva Pro is it makes the tricky process of removing the background super easy with just one click. Any photo of any product, headshot, and logo will do.

Select an image and click the ‘Background Remover’ in the Effects section. The background will disappear in an instant. This is probably one of the most useful tricks in Canva!

Aligning Text and Images Perfectly

Aligning texts, images, and elements in Canva is simple. Instead of manually positioning each object, you can easily use the position tools to align the texts and images automatically.

To align images, elements, and texts, click the element, click the “Position” from the toolbar above the editor, and choose the alignment you want to apply to your element.

Creating a Drop Shadow to Your Images

Adding drop shadows to your graphics makes them look more three-dimensional. It makes your graphic designs pop out and more alive. With Canva, you can also easily make this effect to beautify your design. Full tutorial here.

Save As A Template

This is another Canva Pro feature that saves you up a lot of time.

When you make a design and it’s something you’d want to use again for the future, one feature you can do is to save that document into a template.

You can easily do this by clicking on ‘Show More’ under the ‘Publish’ button, and click the “Templates’ option. Select the folder to where you want that template to be saved and select publish.

Your saved templates can be easily accessed on your home page. Remember, this feature is only available on Canva Pro.

Canva is a very useful tool in designing visual content especially when you own a small business. When you don’t have an in-house graphic designer, you can totally create your own graphics. Thankfully, Canva is here to help you out as it has so many different pre-made templates ready for you to use.

Visit our blog for more articles like this!

July 28, 2022
Effective Writing: How to Write an Irresistible Headline
Effective Writing: How to Write an Irresistible Headline

Most, if not all, of the content you create for your blog, is based on your writing. You are not limited to the format of a traditional written blog post, though, because even things like audio and video will often need some writing beforehand. This is why effective writing should be practiced at all times. So how do you do that?

Writing is a great way to communicate ideas, but compared with in-person verbal communication, it comes with a certain handicap. Body language accounts for a significant portion of human interaction. Things such as facial expressions, posture, gestures, and eye contact can either support or negate the words that are being said. Body language is often used unconsciously to connect with people, gauge character, understand how someone is feeling, and many more.

The meaning of what you say is based on how you say it. But when it comes to writing, many of those qualities are lost. Body language and tone of voice are not present in the published content. You are reliant on the words themselves, which makes effective writing much more important.

The Importance of Effective Writing

Effective writing gets you to build trust, share ideas, educate, and persuade people, all without the use of body language. Beyond that, remember that the nature of the world we live in today is ever-changing. At any given moment, thousands upon thousands of people and companies compete for your audience’s attention. Think about this: why should someone spend their precious time reading your content when they can do absolutely anything else?

The world of web content is more crowded than ever, and it’s only getting more competitive by the day. Some see that as a bad thing, as the surplus of content is driving down the value of the content itself. But the reality is, as the volume of content increases, so too do the rewards for those who create valuable, high-quality content. Valuable content is what you are going for. You want your content to be the diamond among the ordinary rocks, and effective writing can help you achieve that.

Writing Irresistible Headlines

An effective and irresistible headline is one of the most important parts of a good blog post, because this is where you deliver and nail the first impression. When people come across your content while scrolling on social media or the Google results page, there are only two things they’ll do. People are either going to click through your link or they are going to ignore it. A good headline is crucial because it’s the only information people are going to have at this stage.

When you are working on a piece of content, start it by having a working title. The title doesn’t have to be final, it just has to be something simple to identify what you’re working on and guide the general idea of the write-up. Once you’re finished, that’s when you come back to the headline and refine it. There will be times that you’ll end up writing a slightly different approach than you originally intended, so it’s usually a smart thing to write the final headline once you’re done with the main content. Take your final headline seriously.

Don’t just type out the first thing that comes to your mind. Give it a thought before hitting the publish button. The headline is your one chance to grab the people’s attention so make sure that you spend enough time on it.

One thing you can do is to come up with a list of potential headlines, maybe five or so titles. Then narrow them down until you have the perfect one.

With that process in mind, these are the certain elements that you need to have in a perfect title:
1. Be unique. If your headline looks the same with all of the other related content on your topic, your potential audience might not want to click it. With a lackluster and common headline, what reason does your audience have to think that you have any unique value to offer them?
2. Show a little personality and don’t be afraid to be different. A good example of this is the viral video that put Dollar Shave Club on the map. dollarshaveclub.com – our blades are f***ing great! It’s edgy and they took a risk putting the f-bomb in an official ad, but here’s the thing, it worked. The ad got people’s attention and it showed the people that the brand wasn’t just another razor brand like Bic or Gillette. I’m not telling you to be intentionally edgy and swear in your headlines. All I’m suggesting is that you allow your blog to have a personality and a unique, authentic style.
3. A good headline is specific. Be extremely clear about what you have to offer. Don’t stick to the common and general titles that don’t offer much insight at first glance. Be as precise as you can. If you are writing a post about how to grow a business with content marketing, a bad example of a headline would be “Content Marketing” or even “How to Grow your Business”. A good title for this would be “How I Increased My Company’s Sales by 50% Using Content Marketing”. This will make the readers know what to expect, and if they’re interested in what you have to offer, they will surely click through your link.
4. Your headlines should be useful, and it should convey a clear benefit to the reader. Just like the example given above, the title “How I Increased My Company’s Sales by 50% Using Content Marketing” is extremely clear about what the reader is going to learn from the article.
In summary, when writing headlines, make sure to always offer something unique, specific, and useful. Come up with a list of potential titles for your posts and narrow down the list to find the best one. If you’re stuck, you can run it by your friends to get fresh perspectives. In any case, always remember that your headline is your chance to make or break the first impression. So be sure to give it the attention it deserves.
July 28, 2022
9 Benefits of Video Marketing For Your Small Business

9 Benefits of Video Marketing For Your Small Business

Are you still having doubts about whether video marketing is for your business? If you haven’t read our article about Why Small Businesses Should Use Video Marketing, we have another treat for you. In this article today, we are going to share with you the many benefits of video marketing.

Probably the most useful tactic to incorporate in your marketing strategy is to personalize your brand and to do that, you have to tell your brand’s story. Storytelling is an effective way to get your message across to your audience and invoke an emotional response from them. Emotions are important as they influence trust and perception. And videos are the fastest and the most effective way to make this action possible. Because videos play to your visual appetite, they can effectively convey your message and information to viewers, and easily make them understand complex concepts.

Video marketing has become a huge part of the digital marketing scene today and it will continue to do so in the future. Whether you own a small or big business, here are 9 benefits of video marketing.

Get your Brand Noticed

Using videos is a great way to build and improve your brand awareness. Well-made videos will help you get your brand noticed and will catapult your business to the top. This will make you an authority in the industry and position yourself as a thought leader in your field.

Video Builds Trust and Credibility

Video is an incredible medium because of its power to present things in a different light. You get to convey emotions that will appeal to your customers and in this way, create a personality for your brand and company. Through videos, you will be able to connect with your viewers and get their trust.

Videos help educate the audience about your product or service and this will inform your potential customers more about your company and what you do. Trust is essential to make sales today and building trust is one of the benefits of video marketing.

Influence Customer’s Buying Decisions

About 90% of online customers have said that watching a video about a product or service helps them in deciding if they are completing their purchase or not. Videos are great because they influence customer’s buying decisions and about 64% of these consumers said that watching a video makes them more likely to buy.

Boost Your Organic Search Rankings

By having videos, your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) is improved and boosted.

Google takes note of how long a visitor spends on your page and this influences how you appear in the SERPs. As videos are highly engaging, they will keep your audience longer on your site. Businesses that use video marketing effectively will more likely help boost their site’s search rankings.

Moreover, Youtube is the second-largest search engine next to its owner Google, and putting your video here can rack up your visibility and reach for a new audience.

Increase Website Traffic

People love videos and businesses that use videos on their site get more traffic on their website than those who do not.

Encourages Social Shares

When something goes viral, it’s always in a video format. And how does a post become viral? It’s when people share them with others.

Videos are shareable and very engaging, and when people enjoyed your video, they will more likely share them with their friends and family.

Engage Customers on Social Media

Whichever platform you’re on, whether it’s Instagram, Tiktok, or Facebook, you can easily share your message via videos.

Today, social media is overrun with video content and continues to have more because people respond and engage to this type of format more than just the generic text and image. Facebook alone has a staggering 100 million hours of video watched. (source)

Creating stunning video content to share across your pages will likely gain you more audience.

Increase Conversions and Improve Sales

Videos are made to convince the audience and convert them into actual customers, and this is probably one of the biggest benefits of video marketing.

A Great Addition to your Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is still very much alive today and to spice it up, you can add videos in it to increase the engagement with your subscribers. Having videos in your emails can increase your open rates and can likely decrease your unsubscribe rates. Videos are just really easier to watch rather than having to read a long text, right?

Video marketing is becoming popular by the second and has become more affordable than before. With a variety of platforms that you can choose from, there will certainly be a perfect fit for your business. And with the benefits that come with it, video marketing is a strategy most marketers have found effective and worth investing in.

Need guidance and help with video marketing? Ve Digital offers videography services. Contact us today!

July 28, 2022
Where to Get Inspiration for New Content: Here are 5 Good Suggestions to Consider

Where to Get Inspiration for New Content

Creating new content is essential for any content creator, blogger, or marketer. However, coming up with fresh and engaging ideas is not always easy. At times, the inspiration just seems to be lacking, and you might find yourself struggling to come up with new content ideas.

In this blog post, we will share some of the best sources of inspiration to help you generate new content ideas.

Industry News and Trends

One of the best places to look for inspiration is in your industry. Keep up to date with the latest news, events, and trends in your field. Check out popular blogs, social media accounts, and forums to see what people are talking about. You can use this information to create content that is timely and relevant.

Customer Questions

Your customers can also be a valuable source of inspiration. Look for frequently asked questions in your customer support emails, social media comments, and forums. Answering these questions in a blog post or video can help you provide valuable information to your audience and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Competitor Analysis

While you shouldn’t copy your competitors’ content, you can certainly use it for inspiration. Look at the content that is performing well in your niche and see how you can put your spin on it. You can also look for gaps in your competitors’ content and create content that fills those gaps.

Keyword Research

Keyword research can help you understand what people are searching for and create content that is optimized for search engines. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords that your audience is searching for. You can then use these keywords to create content that targets specific search queries.

Brainstorming Sessions

Brainstorming sessions can help you generate a ton of ideas quickly. Get together with your team, colleagues, or even friends and family to come up with new ideas. Write down all the ideas and evaluate them later. You can also use tools like Trello, Google Docs, or MindMeister to collaborate on ideas remotely.

Social Media

Social media can be a great place to find inspiration. Look for popular hashtags in your industry and see what people are saying. You can also follow thought leaders and influencers in your niche to see what content they are sharing.

Customer Feedback

Listening to customer feedback can help you create content that resonates with your audience. Use feedback tools like surveys or feedback forms to gather insights from your customers. You can then use this feedback to create content that addresses their pain points and provides solutions to their problems.

Industry Events and Conferences

Attending industry events and conferences can also be a great way to get inspiration for new content. These events provide you with an opportunity to learn about the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in your field. You can use the insights and ideas from these events to create new and engaging content for your audience.

Your Own Experiences

Sometimes the best content ideas come from your own experiences. Think about your personal and professional experiences and how they relate to your industry. You can share your own stories, lessons learned, and insights with your audience. This not only provides them with valuable information but also helps you build a stronger relationship with your audience.

Repurpose Old Content

Another great source of inspiration is your own old content. Look at your existing blog posts, videos, or podcasts, and see if you can repurpose them. You can update the content with new information, change the format, or create a series of related content. This can save you time and effort while still providing your audience with valuable information.

Guest Posts and Collaborations

Collaborating with other content creators or industry experts can also provide you with new ideas and inspiration. You can invite guest bloggers, participate in podcast interviews, or collaborate on social media campaigns. This not only expands your reach but also exposes you to new ideas and perspectives.

Books, Podcasts, and Other Media

Lastly, books, podcasts, and other media can be a great source of inspiration. Look for content that is relevant to your industry or niche and see what insights and ideas you can apply to your own content. You can also use this content as a starting point for your own research and analysis.

In conclusion, getting inspiration for new content requires a mix of creativity, curiosity, and research. By staying up to date with industry news and trends, listening to your audience, attending industry events, and collaborating with others, you can generate a ton of new content ideas. Remember to be authentic, provide value, and create content that resonates with your audience. Happy creating!

July 28, 2022