Category: WordPress

What to Pay Attention To in Your Branding

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To Do ListIt’s the subtle things that make up the background of your content that affect your reader and potential customers the most. If there’s a ton of text without much white space, readers move into a subconscious level of irritation or criticism which can backfire on you. Inserting a graph, an image or keeping your sentences short and breaking up your paragraphs, help to move the reader to a more relaxed state of mind to digest and comprehend your content. Bullet points are another way to get to the point quickly, and with a web-based platform, you can add more content and link it to the bullet so the reader has the option to read more, or just skim. color burstColors play another big role in whether or not trust or value is perceived in the correct way. If your site is about massage therapy and whole healing, the last thing you want to do is to create a red site. Red is an aggressive color and speaks of authority, not safety or calm as blue and green does. In a recent interview with Judith Briles for Author U (niversity) we discuss a few more areas for consideration.

Listen:     YourGuidetoBookPublishingLIVE_2013-06-13

By the way …

Branding is NOT about the appearance of your product, nor is it your logo. Branding is how people feel or think about your product or services. The appearance of your marketing material, products and other visual elements are what create that feeling or thought towards your business.

I felt that they were a trust worthy company and I loved your sense of humor and simplicity.

I think you know what you are doing. Everything was laid out well and was easy to find.

Both comments are from customers who have developed an opinion based upon how they felt when they were introduced to a company website. This is what they will tell others who want to know what it was like to work with that company.

And THAT … my friend … is branding.

Collaborate – Pick a Brain!

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Team Work Makes the Dream Work

 

If you aren’t sure what you need for your business, I have many resources that are at my fingertips because of the terrific memberships I have with Author U and the entrepreneurs, inventors and investors that I meet in CEO Space. These wonderful communities of people who think outside the box are not only fun and stimulating to be around, they challenge and expand me in my personal life and business – and cause both to be more successful.

Cooperation and Collaboration are the words of the day as members create teams and share information, resources and encouragement.

As a Graphic Recorder I have the ability to assimilate conversations, ideas, concepts and metaphors into visual posters live, in front of audiences or in the boardroom or classroom.

This same ability is what I bring to the table as you and I collaborate by pulling together the resources you need to not only build your site, but support your business.

FREE Themes for WordPress

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When you are first starting out with WordPress its easy to get something that is beautiful as well as functional for your website appearance.  So many talented people create themes on a daily basis and still, others will try them and then report back to the developers, any bugs that usage of the theme may reveal.

The synergy of many people creating and utilizing themes through WordPress makes the possibilities endless. Whether you are writing a personal blog, selling books or opening an online store, WordPress is for you.  Even big corporate companies are implementing blogging as a viable means to communicate and build relationships with their customers – and WordPress is there to make that happen.

Just because a theme is free, doesn’t mean that it is without value. Thanks to the massive amount of plugins, any theme can be tweaked to take on a life of its own.  The question arises that if someone labors to build something free, such as a WordPress theme or a plugin, and others profit from it, what is in it for the developers of these tools?

Just as an artist such as myself will provide free artwork, it helps to spread the word in a viral manner, what the author, artist or developer is capable of creating.  Once a customer finds the theme that they like, they have a tendency to then become an advocate and a loyal customer because trust is built with consistent usage.

Not only can you access free themes from within the Dashboard of your WordPress installation, but you can also search Google to find free themes and those who develop and review them such as these sites:

There are thousands more and new ones every day. If you have a favorite theme please share with me which one it is, include the link to it and why you like it so much. Others will want to know – and the developer deserves the kudos for his or her efforts.

3 Tips to Make Your Post a Slam-Dunk

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The competition for someone’s attention is fierce in our busy world today. Knowing who your readers are is the first step to narrowing down and refining your thoughts so that they speak directly to your target audience.

 

First … A catchy headline is super important. If you aren’t sure how to write a headline, there are many videos on YouTube that can give you ideas. (see one such video after this post)

Second … Keep in mind that people are looking for information FAST. The tendency is to write more words than what are really required. (Trust me, I know this one personally.) Bullet points are handy, but resist the temptation when making bullet points to be so brief in your descriptions that you cause confusion.

Third … Clear, succinct points that are formatted with enough white space to ease the eye, graphics to enhance the message and then from time to time, include videos or audio. Variety helps to keep people on your site longer, and to interact with you more often.

Planning Your Website

Planning Your Website

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Planning your website is much like creating your business plan.

Make sure that they both match the business that you desire to have and LIVE.

There’s a temptation to feel pressured into creating a website AND a business that reflects what other people think you are supposed to have, and not what resonates with you.

So much information is available to you at the drop of a hat, or a Google search that it’s extremely easy to become overwhelmed with information overload.  Here’s what I recommend when you find those massive treasures of information …

  1. Create a special folder in your Bookmarks just for Internet Marketing, or Branding and save those treasure-troves for later reference
  2. As you watch a few of them, certain things will”pop out” at you that resonate with what you need to do next and which will support your future growth.
  3. Make mental notes of what you are weak in understanding or implementing – and hire someone else to do it. “If it’s not your genius, it’s not your job!”
  4. Look for a good clipart/photo site so that you can buy credits for low-resolution files, suitable for the Internet. Your site will need graphics!
  5. Take an inventory of all the articles, photos, graphics, etc. that you have on hand right now that will tell the story of who you are and what you do. If you don’t have anything – have a friend help with photos and feedback.

Remember that there are many things that you can do on your site, within your site, in regards to product development and Internet marketing, social networking, and on and on. BUT you can’t do it all at once. Take the time to do it right – not fast.

Even though we access information in cyberspace at the blink of an eye – it didn’t get there overnight. Your website is and will be and should be an ever-changing expression of your growing business and who you are.  If it doesn’t resonate with you – toss it. Even if someone says you can make millions by doing it – don’t even go there. Those rabbit trails sometimes lead to treasure, and sometimes they lead to your demise.

One bite at a time! Start gathering your thoughts, your materials, and SET YOUR INTENTIONS!