Q4 isn’t the time to stuff your stocking with astronomical commitments and huge goals. Many of us solopreneurs and mompreneurs wind up exhausted in January because of the sheer amount of marketing, socializing, cooking, shopping — you name it — that went into the end of the year. So how do you manage to save … Continue Reading »
That giant muscle inside your head is not necessarily your ally. Your mind wants to keep you safe. This is an evolutionary lesson from the caveman days when you might get bonked on the head with a rock for your dried rabbit stash and you needed to be constantly on alert to stay safe. Those … Continue Reading »
Slow Down and Get Rest to Cultivate Self-Awareness Keeping your business in top form requires you to keep moving steadily forward. That takes consistent energy. If you are unconsciously undermining your path forward by not addressing where you might be draining energy, you are doing your business a disservice. How do you spot the leaks? … Continue Reading »
You could be losing momentum and draining energy from your business without realizing it. Reviewing where you might be spinning your wheels will help you to make changes that’ll keep your business rolling along smoothly. Here are 5 ways you could be draining essential energy from your business and the best ways to plug those … Continue Reading »
When was the last time when you got a bolt of new energy, seemingly out of the blue and then found yourself more productive than you had been for a long time? The world of life coaching has come up with a concept of “Energy Leaks” or “Energy Drains” to describe the defeating feeling you … Continue Reading »
Spurs Creativity Do nothing? Yes, even busy business owners can! It’s not easy, but space for new ideas needs to be made, otherwise, great ideas might never have the chance to bubble up and bust out. Give yourself the chance to be bored. Let yourself hear the clock ticking, the train in the distance, see … Continue Reading »
So you’ve set a goal to attend a networking event! Yay! Now let’s find one for you. The easiest thing you can do is to search “places to network in __________” or “business events in _______”. You’ll find some awesome options on Business Journals and Network After Work. Event Listing Websites While these websites don’t only list networking … Continue Reading »
A referral partner is a business associate in a complementary field, who recommends your company and its services. The best referral relationships are reciprocal; in other words, you would also recommend their company and services to your clients and prospects. For example, the wonderful graphic artist needs an excellent printer to expertly reproduce their designs. … Continue Reading »
Since hashtags are now an essential aspect of social media marketing, we put a lot of time into figuring out which to use in your campaign. Choosing the right hashtags to use depends heavily on your industry, what season it is, and your strategic goals. Although there are other methods of organizing shares, hashtags are … Continue Reading »
So, you’ve suddenly awoken from a lengthy coma and now have to think about social media marketing solutions. “What is this ‘hashtag’ term I constantly hear bandied about?” you might ask, if your coma was exceptionally long – say, since 1920. Well, we’re here to help! A hashtag is a social media subject categorization method … Continue Reading »
Did you know that your website has a unique ten-digit address? To understand all the different layers of technology that make up your website, consider the layer cake analogy: Top Layer: Your Web Host Where your website files live. That is actual space on a server or cloud that you rent on a monthly or annual … Continue Reading »
DISCLAIMER: Artsy Geek is not a law firm. This is neither a magnum opus on EU data privacy nor legal advice for your company to use in complying with EU data privacy laws like the GDPR. We absolutely recommend that you follow the links at the end of this post and consult your own legal … Continue Reading »
CHANGE! That seems to be the motto for all things social media, and we want you to be in the know. Check back with us every year for updates on how to best display your social media imagery, no matter what platform(s) you use! So here is your guide to image sizing for social media … Continue Reading »
Just like when you exercise regularly, when you market your business regularly, you will develop strong muscles. Exercise your marketing muscles regularly and watch as marketing becomes easy and joyful! Check out our infographic! What about you? What muscles are you developing this week?
Incorrect or, gasp, no attribution can lead to nasty emails from photographers or — even worse — hefty fines from the copyright owner. Follow these guidelines to be sure you’re crediting your photos and images correctly. What’s the best way to attribute an image you want to use on your blog, social media post or website? … Continue Reading »
Being an entrepreneur means developing many skills and wearing different hats. Amidst the juggling, all kinds of challenges can leap out of nowhere, like some horrible video game. A negative experience with a client, a big contract cancels, cash flow dries up. POW! BLAM! You’re down for the count. No one tells you that you’re … Continue Reading »
“Oh no!! Not Mercury in retrograde!!” For years, we wished the world of business would take a break while Mercury headed into it’s regular retrograde cycle. Sure, it does increase the potential for technology challenges, delays and miscommunications. But as Shannon Murray, our favorite astrologer says, “Mercury retrograde is so much more than the external … Continue Reading »
Networking events where everyone is simply trying to pitch their business are no fun for anyone. So think of the event as a party at a friend’s house where you’re likely to meet some cool new people. Let go of any particular result other than you’re your own hero for getting out there despite what … Continue Reading »
When you take the plunge and authentically market your business, you are not going to please everyone. Sometimes this feedback comes in the form of unsubscribes to your newsletter. Here are three reasons to be grateful for every unsubscribe that comes your way. 1. That Person is Taking Care of Themselves We all get a … Continue Reading »
(Alternate title: Please get a password manager, Bro.) Everyone has had a password nightmare. Either a real life, full-blown panic trying to remember one or an actual nightmare where you’re trying to enter a password (whilst being nude at school). Using a password manager frees up your memory for things worth remembering AND it’s the … Continue Reading »
Downplay your workday slump and put some swing in your thing! Do you think music has no effect on motivation? Energy? Creativity? Well imagine going to any exercise class without music. Whah whah. Night night. (Yawn.) Research continues to show the link between brain function and music. Get your blood pumping and your brain working! … Continue Reading »
We just began using Grammarly here at Artsy Geek, because we can’t always be perfect! We wholeheartedly recommend our clients use even the free version because we see grammar problems and misspillings (joke!) regularly. We’re not judging (too much), however, your clients probably are. Read on to see if you’re even sounding a little caveman-ish. … Continue Reading »
While stock photography is great and all, sometimes our budgets just won’t allow it. Here are some of our favorite ‘go-to’ free stock photography sites that are easy to use and have amazing content: pexels.com By far the best selection of free stock that I have come across on the web. You can browse their … Continue Reading »
Good For Your Brain Writing handwritten, personalized and high-quality thank you cards to your clients is good for your brains! In this world of digital communication, the act of actually picking up a pen and writing a note activates a part of the brain that few of us use on a daily basis. Read more … Continue Reading »
Let’s talk about fonts! Specifically, the fonts that you should avoid. We have compiled for you a list of 8 different fonts that you (a designer, a sales-person, a chef, or whatever you are) should ALWAYS stay away from. Some of these you have probably heard of and some you might be surprised that a font … Continue Reading »
We all get stuck in our routines. Day-to-day life – and to-dos – can easily take over, giving you tunnel vision when it comes to the possibilities available in your business. As we begin 2018, goal-setting and strategic planning are likely on most of our to-do lists. Before embarking on those important tasks – and … Continue Reading »
Do you get a lot of SPAM? We do. A ton. Of all different types. There’s the Viagra SPAM that thankfully ends up in the filter and the more direct, unsolicited email that finds its way (unfortunately) into our email boxes. Without exception, everyone has an agenda: Buy our leads! Outsource your development to us! … Continue Reading »
Facing the new digital environment of ecommerce, a lot of brands and advertisers have realized that a majority of their old sales and marketing techniques are no longer effective. What’s more, the many different mobile devices and media platforms now used by consumers worldwide have fragmented the marketplace significantly, which has made it harder for … Continue Reading »
We’re pleased to announce that we’ve retained our position as a Top San Francisco Digital Agency, according to an updated report by research firm Clutch! As it turns out, we are also ranked on Clutch as a Top Email Marketing Agency and a Top San Francisco Branding Agency, further highlighting our position as a full-service digital … Continue Reading »
One of the most difficult search engine optimization (SEO) tasks is coming up with good keywords for your content. Trying to guess what search terms people will use can be aggravating, and if you aren’t using a keyword research tool, the results can range from ineffective (no one finds your site) to counterproductive (people find … Continue Reading »
Your custom Word template is made of three files: Template File This file is set up with the styles and formatting to make everything you produce in Word branded with your company’s look and feel. This file has the format “FileName.dotx” Theme File This file tells Word which colors should be default for your template. … Continue Reading »
Collaborative marketing?? What is that? Simply put, it’s teaming up with another business to share resources to generate leads and/or brand exposure. More technically, Collaborative Marketing is the process of aligning your company’s interests, resources, and marketing muscle with other like-minded companies to accomplish much more than you might be able to do on your own. (Forbes.com) Collaborative marketing … Continue Reading »
Welcome to our first edition of Ask Artsy Geek, your source for the inside scoop on all things artsy, geeky, or social media-y! Today’s question is about social media strategy: or, how to post all the right things in all the right places without inadvertently alienating your followers. We’ve been working on our social media … Continue Reading »
One of the best things about social media is the ability to express your business visually on your profile page. Beyond a little thumbnail of your latest selfie, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all now offer various versions of a cover photo you can use to further enhance your brand.
When we create a logo for you, whether it’s a brand new brand identity or a rejuvenation of an existing one, we always give you a folder of various formats. While most of you know when to use which format, some of you might still be a bit lost. Hopefully this post will clarify why … Continue Reading »
Now that you’re ready to start adding pages and posts to your WordPress site, let’s go over the basics of formatting text. WordPress keeps their editing fairly straightforward. You’ve likely used Microsoft Word, or, at the very least, sent an email. It’s definitely not intimidating, but let’s go over some of the tools that can … Continue Reading »
If you’re starting out on WordPress, you might be a little confused about the difference between pages and posts. They are both channels for your content, but they have totally different purposes. Do you like videos? This one is pretty good. Disclaimer: We didn’t make it so it’s not as fun as it could be. Scroll … Continue Reading »
Adding a post is quite a bit simpler than adding a page. This is due to the fact that posts are (usually) automatically ordered in reverse chronological order, and are located within a single section of your website. But let’s just run through the tools, so we can be on the same page…err, post. Let’s get … Continue Reading »
Images are a major part of the look and feel of your site. But how do you add images to your WordPress pages and posts? Let us be your guide. There are couple ways to get an image into your WordPress website. You can upload an image from your computer to your Media Library or you can paste in a … Continue Reading »
In this tutorial, we’re going to go over all the aspects and features of pages. By learning this, you will know how to create a WordPress page like a pro. Do you like videos? This one is pretty good. Disclaimer: We didn’t make it so it’s not as colorful as it could be. Scroll down for our … Continue Reading »
The WordPress Dashboard: The Reception Area for Your WordPress Backend. The Dashboard can initially seem overwhelming, but fear not, we are going to walk you through each section. There are a lot of tools and options, but trust us, they totally make sense. Besides watching the helpful video abvoe, let’s look at a visual of … Continue Reading »
Categories and Tags are how you organize your WordPress posts. The difference is simple. At first there were only categories, but this was not enough for people who: Have a ton of posts Love organization They were unable to best categorize each post in the several but limited amount of categories WordPress lets you have. … Continue Reading »
You hear all the time about how WordPress is a great way to have a website. But what people don’t necessarily realize is that there are two ways to have a WordPress website: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Not sure what the difference is between WordPress.org and WordPress.com? Didn’t know they were two different things? Confused about … Continue Reading »
To create a signature in Mail, select Preferences from the Mail menu. In the Mail Preferences window, click the Signatures icon. If you have more than one email account, select the account for which you want to create a signature. Click the plus (+) icon near the bottom of the Signatures window. Enter a description … Continue Reading »
Just the other night I was dreaming of a world where WordPress and Etsy made sweet, discouraged sexy love in a department store changing room. This, I thought, would spawn a baby SO relevant to indie artists and producers. One that would merge the gap between e-commerce websites and Etsy, the world-renowned marketplace for DIY crafters, … Continue Reading »
You’ve likely heard of MailChimp, or at least seen that cheeky monkey floating around the interwebs. You know, the one with the tidy blue hat and that big banana-eating grin? No? My goodness; let us introduce you! MailChimp is an email marketing company with a collection of indispensable services for any company, small or large. … Continue Reading »
The business card will always be associated with face-to-face networking, which sometimes seems pretty lo-fi in the digital age. While digital marketing is an essential component of any well-rounded strategy, we are a firm believer that printed brand collateral will always have its place. A business card is the lasting impression left in the hands … Continue Reading »
SourcingLine, a Washington, DC-based independent research firm, released a report today naming the top ten digital agencies in San Francisco. And guess what?? We made the list!
We were honored to be chosen to design the identity and collateral for BALLE’s 2014 conference. You couldn’t ask for a more inspiring theme than this year’s: Prosperity For All. It was an intense and creative four month process where we first established the look and feel for the conference and then carried it through … Continue Reading »
Pick a Platform! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Set a Schedule! Whether it’s an hour on Monday afternoons or fifteen minutes after lunch every day, the key is to set a schedule and stick to it. keep a list handy of CONTENT IDEAS! Not just blog posts or sales! This could be anything from videos, … Continue Reading »
If you didn’t know, we at Artsy Geek have some thoughts and opinions on font usage. We might, some would say, be font-tators. (think font dictators). That’s mainly because we have some years of experience designing, studying, using and recommending fonts to our friends, clients and peers. We recently stumbled upon this article, though, that … Continue Reading »
Need to install on a Mac? We’ve got you covered. The first step to keeping a tight backside brand is consistency. You now have the tools to do so (via your nifty Branding Guide) so what are you waiting for? Install those fonts and keep your brand in shape! Important Make sure you are installing … Continue Reading »
Need to install on a PC? We’ve got you covered. The first step to keeping a tight backside brand is consistency. You now have the tools to do so (via your nifty Branding Guide) so what are you waiting for? Tighten that brand – Install those fonts! Method #1 – Old School (for OS versions … Continue Reading »
The most effective marketing doesn’t need to be daily or weekly — it needs to be strategic. Here are three questions to ask yourself before posting, scheduling, or sharing: 1. Does this help establish my business as ___________________? Fill in the blank. How do you want to be perceived? Take us for example. We want … Continue Reading »
1. Pick an engaging subject line No one – not even your mom – wants to read your “June Newsletter.” Reference pop culture. Make up a word. Express yourself! 2. Keep it simple Most people read their emails on their phones. The days of complicated layouts with sidebars and three or four articles are over. … Continue Reading »
A neglected blog is like having a dead plant in your front window. If you have a blog, use it. Here are some topics to make it fun: 1. A List Post People love to click on lists! Share an informative, hilarious or heartfelt list. Easy to compile and easy to read – a win … Continue Reading »
While there are tons of options to have your business’ design and marketing done through big online companies – like having a logo created on 99 Designs, or using Wix for an easy website – there are even more local designers and marketers who are stellar in their fields.
If you’re a music artist or author, sharing about your life and happenings may be a great way to form close relationships with your followers. If you’re a local business, sharing stories or beautiful photos of your town may be a sure route to build your audience. Try different strategies and see what your audience responds to.
A great elevator speech in your pocket is your ticket to a polished and confident presence while you’re out networking, grocery shopping or walking down the street. Here’s how to craft yours. What Do You Do? Introduce what you do, but -– and this is essential -– begin with an action phrase that is not … Continue Reading »
Music to your business-owning ears, right? A like on Facebook means your new fan is instantly a member of your community, and in on your latest business news and promotions. If you’re still left wondering what’s going on with Facebook Business Pages (and how they’re different from personal pages), we have a quick and dirty glossary to get you started.
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of www.giftchameleon.com. We pushed WordPress customization to the max to bring you an infinite rainbow of gifts! When we talk to potential clients about the amazing capacity of WordPress, we occasionally hear “Oh, we don’t want a WordPress site.” This is because people often have a preconceived notion of … Continue Reading »
Logos are not just pretty pictures to put on your business cards. They are the brand. Logos need to visually communicate the brand in as little as half a second. The best logos are simple and memorable while reflecting the personality of the brand.
Ever since I discovered Market Samurai, it has been my favorite SEO tool. (If you’re unfamiliar with what SEO is, check out our quick definitions.) I don’t know how I ever got along without it. Not only is it user friendly and indispensable, it’s an unbelievably affordable option for those wanting to dig in and do their own keyword research and content optimization.
We all keep hearing about how important Social Media is for business. But how do you ensure that the time you spend on it is effective? Sure, you should track your time and make sure you’re not losing three hours a day. But the key is spending your time wisely to maximize engagement.
We’ve been pretty obsessed with Pinterest around here. It’s just so much fun to collect more and more pins! And with Pinterest generating more traffic to websites than Bing, it’s a social media power house I started looking at the top pinners and noticed how many pinboards they have…some with hundreds and hundreds of pins!
We wanted to share with you a free tool that we love around the Artsy Geek office. It’s called Awesome Screenshot and it makes communicating about web design a breeze. Awesome Screenshot is a free extension that works inside your Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser.
We here at Artsy Geek love MailChimp’s quick, free, and painless mailing list service. For all you Mailchimp users out there, we wanted to let you know about a great free Mailchimp feature that you may have overlooked.
This month one of our clients, Honey Salon in Bellingham, WA, was a part of a gala put on by a Medical Center Foundation and benefiting local philanthropic leaders. The invitations were designed and printed by the foundation. Honey was to include something for the affair’s ‘goodie bag’. They needed a clever packaging idea for little 3ml bottles of hair oil. We designed a presentation that blew the guests away; Custom labeled prescription bottles (to match the event’s collateral) with Honey’s branding, and the contents of the product. Wrapped inside the bottle was a ticket for a free service at the salon. The presentation complemented the evening’s message better than anything else that night.
Did you know that if you are a local business, Google has (or will create) a page of business information findable by people searching Google? Check out this business page for a hair salon. Did you also know you can take control of this page and its content for free?
The most obvious change of Timeline is the splashy, high-impact header photo. While such a large image could be a marketer’s dream, Facebook specifies that no calls to action, contact or purchase information, financial offers, or references to Liking the page be present in the image. Facebook’s Product Director of Ads, Gokul Rajaram, states the cover image’s: “…Goal is to symbolize what an organization is all about. For a restaurant it could be a popular menu item, a band could display album cover art, and a business could show a picture of their customers using their product.”
Before you get caught up in the day-to-day, have you planned your year? What are your goals? It’s probably safe to bet that many of us want the same things: awesome products or services and more sales. So how can we achieve these goals? Having a plan to connect with your existing customers is essential. Are you leveraging the power of social media? Our 2012 Marketing Checklist will help you quickly assess your current online marketing plan.
Would you share your message in invisible ink? Did you know that our friends with visual impairments navigate the web completely differently? Without their eyes to guide them, they are reliant on the functionality and text of a website to get along. Accessible websites are designed to be easy to use for people with visual, motor, auditory and cognitive impairments.
Here at Artsy Geek we remember when Google Buzz was released. While we laughed, Google employees cried. Yet another failed attempt of Google trying to break into the social media world. With the advent of Google+ however, it seems the game may have changed. Google+ finally showed the some of innovation Google has been known for, and seems to foreshadow the coming of a fully social, fully integrated entourage of free products that are oh-so-easy to use and then, inevitably, desperately needed.
“Search engine what?” and “What is SEO?” are questions we hear all the time from the people we meet and work with. Here’s some quick definitions to help you figure out what SEO is all about.
You’ve probably heard it before – it’s important to back up your data. Of course it’s prudent to back up your computer in case it’s broken or stolen, and external hard drives are now cheap and easy to use. But your online data is valuable to your business, and it needs to be backed up as well – even though it does not reside on your own computer.
Many of the sites we build for our clients are built using the awesome Thesis theme, and incorporate the use of the Thesis-specific functionality of post images and post thumbnail images. Using post images or thumbnail images associate a particular image with that post so that it can be dynamically included in excerpts or teasers.
WordPress comes equipped with a way to make your post into a photo gallery. I grabbed some photos of various Artsy Geek shenanigans to illustrate how it will look. You can customize the gallery based on what order you’d like your images to show up in (I chose random) and how many columns they should … Continue Reading »
Many of the sites we build for our clients are built using the awesome Thesis theme, and incorporate the use of the Thesis-specific functionality of post images and post thumbnail images. Using post images or thumbnail images associate a particular image with that post so that it can be dynamically included in excerpts or teasers.