As we are hosting a Canva Design Masterclass this week, we thought we would share some "getting started" tips with you today.

For those of you who don't know of Canva - it is a DIY graphic design site that is simple to use, has templates you can follow if you are not a designer plus the free option is fab.

Here are the 5 things you need to establish before you should start to design.

We love Instagram Stories - in fact, we go to look at Stories before we scroll down the Instagram feed. We love seeing the real you, the person behind the brand but also as we are nosey types, we love having a good old nose at what you are up to. And we are not the only ones!

However, many people we know and work with don't have a plan for them, resulting in their content being a bit random. Or no content at all! Remember that you can sell through Stories too! They should therefore play a key part in your overall strategy.

Today we wanted to share 6 types of posts that you can share on Instagram (or indeed any social platform). We share all of these, in different amounts depending on the phase we are in at the time. By this I mean - the awareness phase, the lead generation phase, the launch phase or the implementation phase of a product/service.

Read on to find out more….

Today we are talking about Instagram again - and what you should be getting your followers to do when they see your post. So often we concentrate on creating the best image we forget that we want people looking at them to actually do something. This is called a Call To Action and we should remember this for all our marketing.

But first, let's talk about all the actions that they can take when they see an image or video that they like. There are 4 key actions and you should chase them / encourage them in this order.

It can be hard to decide what to post on your Instagram grid, It can lead to us either not posting anything or posting something off-brand and a bit random. Consistency is key, so you need a plan to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Remember your grid is where prospective followers decide whether they “get you” so ideally, it needs to reflect what you stand for and what you do in a cohesive way.

There are 6 types of content I suggest you create on your grid. This can be in any order. We find that most people we follow or work with, tend to focus on one over the other, so we suggest getting a good even mix. Here are the 6 types of content and ideas on what you can create for them.

When I ask clients which magazine or newspaper they want to get their business featured in, they always say the same thing. Vogue, Tatler, Forbes, The Guardian, Grazia.....
Amazing publications I know but when I ask why, they tend to reply describing their love of those publications. When I ask whether their ideal client or customer loves them and more importantly reads them, they usually go quiet! Getting featured in any press is great, but getting featured in the press that your customer reads is even better!

Today we are talking about PR and how to identify the best publication for your business. Here are the 5 steps to follow:

When you contact a journalist or even better, they contact you, you need to be ready. This is because you need to move fast. If they ask for something, be it a quote, tips or a photo, you need to be able to respond fast. And I mean - drop what you're doing fast. If you take hours, they are likely to go elsewhere and you will then lose the publicity. This is because they are working to tight deadlines, their deadlines and not yours. I have seen so many instances of this happening and clients or colleagues missing out.

The best thing you can do is to get prepared so you are always ready. Here are 5 simple things you can do this week, to set yourself up to react quickly in 2021.

Earlier this year, we would have said that follower count does not really matter on Pinterest. It’s all about the SEO right - growing monthly views to then get more traffic to our website or blog? While this is still right, Pinterest has made it clear that they want us to stay on the platform longer, to engage with its users and of course see their adverts! They are now actively sharing your new and interesting content to your followers first - so it it is now important to focus on growing this audience. As more people seeing your pins, who already love what you do, means you are more likely to get more click throughs.

Anyone who regularly uses Pinterest to grow their website traffic, will have noticed a few changes recently. From the look and feel of it on your desktop, to the drop in monthly views; Pinterest has been tweaking and updating resulting in many users being confused. This is primarily due to us all now using outdated methods that are now no longer working. We have spent the last few weeks talking to Pinterest, researching through trial and error, chatting in forums and also going along to the Pinterest Creators Festival to understand better what is new and more importantly how we need to adapt our strategy.

You’ve spent time creating a blog post to promote your expertise, added photos and created social media posts to share it, but still aren’t getting many readers. While your current followers and peers may well click through to it - what you really need are new people to find it. New Readers = New Customers right? A great way to improve your reach organically, is through Pinterest.

The biggest question I get asked about Pinterest is this: Does Pinterest work for service based businesses? They see how powerful it is for product based businesses but wonder whether it will work for coaches, personal trainers, marketing professionals, hair stylists, photographer and the like. The good news is Pinterest is great for all businesses and indeed is our number one traffic source and we are absolutely a service based business! Here’s how in 3 steps (many of which you will be doing already)

We love Pinterest - so much so, that we manage the platform for multiple clients. This is because Pinterest is a great search engine so a really good way to connect your ideal customer with your business. And because it is a visual search engine, it is a load more fun for us creative types than the likes of Google! We are often asked what the point of Pinterest is and how will it help small businesses so here are 7 reasons why every business should embrace Pinterest.

A few of our HUB members have been thinking of running an Instagram Facebook competition lately and had many questions so we thought we would share them with you all as there a few dos and don’ts to consider when organising a social media giveaway. Here is some of our advice to make sure you get the best out of it without breaking the rules.

It is really important to grow your email list, as it is the one audience that you own. But most people concentrate on creating an engaged audience on social media (which of course is great too) without putting much thought to their email list other than a pop up window that often sees poor results.

The trick to growing your list is to give them a really good reason to join so that they cannot wait to hand over their email address. Here are 10 ways to do this.

I am sure that you know that creating content helps you to get up the Google charts and to be found on Pinterest. It also helps to position yourself as an expert, increase your website hits leading to improved like and trust from your ideal customer or client. But what makes a good blog post? A funny title? Fabulous photographs? There are many things that make a visually strong blog, but what makes a SEO enriched blog that will help your business? Here are 10 things that every business blog needs (and clue it is not a funny title!).

This week has been all about creating Opt Ins or Lead Magnets here at The Indie Practice. We have created a competition for one client - landing page and nurture sequence (the emails that the signed up people get afterwards) and designed a PDF guide for another. Plus we have been developing ours - we now have our Creative Content Calendar and our 15 Ways To Blog guide (click on the links and sign up!). However, what we are asked once we have created them is - what next? This is where you need to share the hell out of them other wise it was totally useless creating them! Here are just a few ideas of where you can share your Lead Magnet.

Social Media platforms continue to grow, new kids turn up on the block and it still continues to be one of the best places to connect with potential and existing customers. But what will we see growing the most in 2020? Here is a round up of what we predict for you and your business.

Pinterest is a visual search engine - a great way for your ideal client or customer to find you, and fall in love with what you do. Here are 5 simple steps for setting up your account that you can do today

Instagram Stories are a great way to increase engagement with your audience, as they love to see behind the scenes action and to get an insight into the real you. But are you utilising the many add ons that help you get your message across as well as reach more people? Here are 12 that are currently available with many new ones rolling out all the time.

Is your mind full or are you mindful? We share 5 tips to improve your productivity so you can getter better results in your small business - and be happier too!