I have recently been exploring the incredible power of Pinterest and let me tell you – it is more powerful than you can imagine! Did you know that many bloggers are claiming Pinterest as one of the main drivers of traffic to their websites these days? Well that’s 100% true and it’s something you need to tap into!

I wrote last week about branding and styling your Pinterest boards and discussed why this practice is vital for growing not only your Pinterest following but also your business and website too. Today I want to talk about another key element in using Pinterest, but this time it’s something you can do on your blog to help drive traffic back to your Pinterest.

The aim of the game is to get your pins and images noticed on Pinterest. The more people share your pins, the more their friends and followers will notice what you are doing and you will start to see a rise in your traffic. But you need to get them to pin your post images in the first place, right?

So in this blog post I am going to show you the easiest way to add Pin It Buttons to your WordPress site! It’s so painfully simple, you’ll be like “Woah, Girl! Is that all there is?” and I will be there nodding. Yes, it’s as easy as this:

1. INSTALL THE PLUGIN IN

Adding a Pin It Button to your blog is simple when we are using plugins on our WordPress.org websites. All you need to do is navigate to:

Plugins > Add New and located jQuery Pin It Button For Images. Install and activate this plugin from the list. Other plugin results will show up too, just find this one and install it!

2. CONFIGURE THE PLUGIN

What I love so much about this plugin is that you can control how it works super easily, saving you time and ensuring you get exactly what you need out of it! To do this you’ll need to navigate to:

Settings > jQuery Pin It Button For Images

This will bring up all the options that you have at your disposal to not only control how this plugin works on your site, but you can also customise the way it looks! You will notice there are three tabs: ‘Selection’ ‘Visual’ and ‘Advanced’.

You won’t need to worry about changing anything in the ‘Advanced’ tab, but let’s talk about the setting on the other two pages:

Selection:

Leave the majority of the settings as the default on this page. However you might want to consider the ‘on which pages the “Pin it” button should be shown‘ settings. I generally select only ‘Single Posts’ and ‘Blog Pages’ because I don’t want the Pin It Button to pop up on my homepage and other internal pages. But this is totally up to you, play around with these settings as much as you like and you can always change them later.

I also change the ‘minimum resolution that should trigger the “Pin it” button to show up‘ setting. This is the restraint that stops people from pinning super small images that you didn’t intend for pinning. I set my minimum resolution to 400 x 500 and again, you can set this to anything you like, or even leave blank if you’re not fussed!

Visual:

I then go into the visual settings and have a look at those settings.

Firstly I consider the ‘transparency value‘. This is where you determine if you would like to apply opacity to any degree on the image when your visitor hovers over it. There are pros and cons of this feature and it’s really up to your personal preference if you want to change the opacity of your images on rollover. I am keeping my images as is, but if you do want a little opacity, try setting it between 0.1 to 0.3 so it isn’t too extreme!

In this tab is also where you set the ‘custom pin it button‘. Check the use custom pin it button box and then upload your image using the upload button. Press refresh preview to make sure you are happy with it!

You can also play with the positioning of your pin it button by changing the ‘“Pin It” button position‘ and ‘margins‘. You will notice my pin it button hangs over the image slightly on the left. I did this by including a negative value on the top-left margin.

Hover over the image below and see for yourself!

To help you along with your new custom button, I am giving you 6 Pin It Buttons to choose from!

The six buttons offered to you here are completely free! You just need to download the zip folder and get started! I just ask that you don’t resell or redistribute these buttons!

Using one of the Brand IT Girl Pin It buttons? Drop your link in below in the comments, I would love to see them in action!

The post Adding a Custom Pin It Button to your WP Site! appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

One of my hobbies is trying to get as much as humanly possible out of my day. To be honest, this is probably one of the worst hobbies I have because it stresses me out so much when I think I am not achieving enough, but by streamlining my process and a few handy strategies I have picked up along the way I have developed ways to maximise the time.

I work from home, just like so many lady bosses out there. There are so many fabulously mundane things that need our attention at home – like the laundry, cleaning the house, cooking meals. And there’s also some fabulously enticing things to distract us too, like lying in bed until noon watching the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars. The real challenge is to use the time you have productively and maximise that time to achieve business success. Woah, I know, tall order, right

Well today I’ll share a little sneak peek into my daily routine before sharing my top strategies, my biggest challenges and finally my secret weapon!

MY DAILY SCHEDULE

Full disclosure: this is a super flexible routine. I have deliberately designed my life to withstand any additional things that pop up, including health issues and family commitments. This has been a calculated and purpose-driven decision that has helped to reduce my stress levels and has really increased productivity!

7.00 AM – WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD

Rise and shine! Generally the first thought that goes through my head is “I will rise, but I refuse to shine…” in my best inner grouchy voice. This doesn’t last long, after I splash water on my face I feel much better and get on with it. Get dressed, breakfast and drop Gavin at the train station before heading to my desk.

8.15 AM – EMAIL CHECK-IN

My very first task when I sit down at my desk is to check my emails. I do this before I write my to-do list, because often there are action items in there that need to be included in my plan. I always reply to current clients first, they are 100% my priority. Then I check emails from potential clients, replying to their enquiries and addressing concerns, before checking other email that might be promotions, questions or proposals.

I like to leave my email open throughout the day rather than just checking it this once. I often refer back to details in emails from clients and I like to know when new emails come in through the day. Sometimes I am working on a client project and they email with a change or question, I like to open these emails straight away.

8.45 AM – TO DO LIST

I like to take a quick 10-15 minutes to review my to-do list and set my top 3 goals for the day. This helps me to stay focused on what I am doing and doesn’t allow time for deviation when the procrastination bug starts to bite.

9.00 AM – SOCIAL MEDIA CHECK-IN

I like to spend a bit of time checking in with my social media. I use this time to schedule posts, share content written by other business, branding and design experts, interacting with my followers and meeting new people in FB groups. It’s important to me to stay connected with the people around me, and staying active on social media makes it so much easier for me to serve people! I am able to see questions they have, things they are struggling with and trends that are prominent in my field. I also find it super convenient to use scheduling tools. I currently use Buffer for Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter and Onlypult for Instagram.

10.00 AM – CLIENT AND PROJECT WORK

Once I am happy that I am up-to-date with the inter web world, I will start working on client projects or if I don’t have a current client, I will work on my own projects.

For each new client I will set out clear timelines that guide me completing their work before I even start. This is so I know what I need to do each day and also so that the client will know when feedback and input will be required and it allows them time to schedule this in too.

12.30 PM – BREAK, LUNCH + EXERCISE

If I could work right through lunch, I would. To be honest, that is exactly what I used to do, every single day. It was really bad for my health, for my focus and it also made me super grumpy. So no I try to take some time out for a little break and I head to the gym or head out for a walk. Sometimes even just switching off and reading a book for a little while helps!

1.30 PM – BLOG POSTS OR BUSINESS PROJECTS

I mentioned that I will use the time that I am waiting on feedback from clients to write blog posts or work on other projects. Well this time slot after lunch is designated for just that, so I can either trade this time with the period before lunch or I can do extra blog writing and project development. I love this time of the day because I can work on developing my ideas and research new possibilities. It’s a bit of an indulgence!

3.30 PM – PHD WORK

Something that people might not know about me is that I am currently writing a PhD at the University of Sydney, Australia on the ways in which identity is performed online through branding, looking specifically at people just like you and me – ladypreneurs! So I set aside a few hours every afternoon to work on this. Sometimes, the poor PhD is put on the back burner if I get too carried away with working on blog posts or other projects, but I try to get two or three sessions in a week.

5.30 PM – FINISH UP + TIE UP LOOSE ENDS

I spend half hour or so just finishing up for the day, one last quick check on social media and emailing out updates to clients. Gav generally arrives home at about 6-6.30pm so I will stop work then.

After work we do try to get out and socialise or have some fun. Mondays we have dinner with my family and Tuesdays we do ballroom dancing lessons, then dinner with Gavs family. Wednesdays Gav plays ice hockey, Thursday we have a little business check-in meeting and Friday night we either relax or spend it with friends and family.

I use my evenings to relax, spend time with my family and Gav and my favourite part of the night is watching an episode of whatever we are watching while I knit or sew my latest crafting project. I really need this time to unwind in the nighttime and crafting while watching a story unfold is a great way for me to relax and ensures a good sleep.

10.00 PM – HEAD TO BED FOR ZZZS

I love crawling into bed after a bad of work. It’s so rewarding to know that I did a good job, got a whole heap of things done and made a difference. On weekends, Gav bans our mobile phones from the room so we can sleep tech free. It’s something I resisted to start with, because, you know, that hunk of plastic and metal is an extension of my arm, but really it does make a difference to have a break every now and then!

MY TOP STRATEGIES

I have a few tried and test daily strategies that have helped me to maximise my productivity.

• Firstly, I identified what I have to do every day. Take a minute to ask yourself what tasks do you need to do on a daily basis? Can you create a routine block in your day that will allow you to do these things quickly in an orderly fashion.
• I always factor in breaks and mental health check-ins. Being flexible and open to taking some time off is really important. Owning your own business is draining so sometimes I just need to accept a bit of downtime and take some time off, even if it’s just a few hours in the afternoon spent with tech off, wandering around the shops. Take note of when you are feeling tired, emotional or when you just can’t focus and take some time to yourself to re-boot!
• I also find batching similar tasks together really helps with my focus. This could be something like batch writing blog posts for the week or batch editing Instagram images. Grouping these tasks will save you time and will increase your consistency.

MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE

One of my biggest challenges of working from home is staying focused on the task at hand. It is so easy to stop working at start ‘tidying up’ – believe me I know how tempting it is to procrasticlean, I used to be terrible for this. Having a strict schedule that has been carefully thought-out and planned is a great way to combat this challenge. If you have set business tasks that need to be completed in a certain time frame, you are less likely to be distracted by the other things in your environment that need your attention.

MY SECRET WEAPON

Recently I was having troubles narrowing my focus and this was having a huge impact on my ability to complete tasks. I was feeling really scattered and I would jump from idea to idea, project to project. It was getting exhausting and I was achieving very little. Luckily, I have a boyfriend who also has a business mind, so it was easy for him to identify the big problem with my business that I couldn’t exactly see, but could definitely feel: I wasn’t accountable to anyone. When you are a solopreneur and you work from home, who are you accountable to? Is it your clients? Well, yes, but only for the scope of their project. You don’t have a boss to answer to – that’s one of the attractive qualities of working for yourself. There are no big stakeholders. You may consider your blog readers or the people you engage with on social media as stakeholders, but as long as you are delivering content, their interest in your business operations are limited.

I felt alone and not in a “oh-poor-me” way – in more of a “way too much freedom” kind of way. I needed to be answerable to someone and to a bigger set of goals and so the Weekly Brand IT Girl Business Accountability Check-In Meeting was born. In this meeting Gav and I talk through my general business situation, we look at social media stats and consider the strategies that are leading to growth or we come up with new strategies to try. We talk about marketing and advertising, customer enquires and current projects and look at my business expenses. We take minutes of the meeting, including action items (or ‘jobs’) for me to complete in a given time frame – sometimes it is by the next meeting and sometimes it has a due date several weeks down the track. We check in on last week’s action items and we make note of if they were completed and what the next step is – this often becomes a new action item for me to complete in the upcoming week. The last thing we do is talk about HNIs. Hectic New Ideas. This is when we talk about new ideas for products, services and projects Brand IT Girl could look at undertaking in the future. If the HNI receives a positive reaction it becomes an action item.

This process has helped me so very much to stay focused on my goals, with a task-based orientation through the week. I can see a list of action items infront of me and when I need to do them. This makes it much easier to push distractions aside when there are tasks that require attention. Being accountable to someone else for my business is a huge driver for getting these tasks done.

Who to ask? You can recruit your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend to be your business meeting partner or you can ask a business minded relative or friend for weekly or fortnightly meet-ups. You may even find an online business friend in a similar field (Note: I don’t recommend a friend in the same industry as you, this can cause tension when talking about new ideas!) that you can partner with for these check-in meetings. Try Skype for these meetings and remember to share the minutes sheets with each other via email afterwards so your partner can keep track of your goals too!

To make it easier for you to start these business check-in meetings, I have created a downloadable eBook just for you! Enter your email below to unlock this eBook right now!

The post How I Work From Home and Stay Ridiculously Productive appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

I am sure you have seen those Pinterest accounts that just kind of blow you away with consistency, clarity and the pretty branded board covers. Accounts like these don’t just materialise out of nothing. There is a lot of time and effort put into these boards and the strategy behind them.

I have recently started to research how to use Pinterest more efficiently to help my business and blog to grow, while simultaneously helping other people by providing them with what I believe to be quality information. One of the big things that is coming up again and again in my research is how important it is to have branded Pinterest boards that has a clear strategy and message to communicate.

Here’s the thing – you can’t keep looking at your social media as separate to your website. That is the entirely wrong way to use social media and it’s not helping you one little bit. You invest so much time and energy (and often money) into growing your brand and interacting on social media, so why not maximise your resources to ensure you are getting the return you deserve. Keeping brand consistent as you cross over to social media from your website is not only vital, it’s actually not that difficult either!

Let’s look at the best ways to brand and style your Pinterest boards:

1. DETERMINE WHAT YOUR ACCOUNT IS FOR AND DECIDE ON LOGICAL BOARDS

Here’s a common misconception: “the more boards I have on different topics, the more people I will attract”. Wrong.

Just like we talk about niching and narrowing the focus of your blogging topics/categories as a way of building a strong blogging brand, so too should we narrow the focus of our Pinterest boards. Think about what your business and blog is about and create boards that relate to your chosen niche. There is no point having ‘automobile maintenance’ boards if you are an interior designer, for example. This only confuses fellow Pinners and will ultimately send them on their way. It dilutes your brand.

One great way of deciding on what boards you should include is to look at your blogging categories. For me, I have six blogging topics: Blogging, Branding, Business, Design, Productivity and Web Design. These six topics make up six of my boards. I also have Social Media, Photography, Email Marketing, Workspaces and Brand Love. What do all these topics have in common? They are 100% relevant to my target audience. There is no recipe boards or hair style boards thrown in there. They are all on brand for my target market.

Laura James Studio does this particularly well. All of her boards are relevant to her target market and she doesn’t make any exceptions.

2. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU PIN

When you are pinning images to your boards, I recommend looking for pins that fit in with your overall brand aesthetics. Sure there will be variations in colour and composition but keeping a general, overall feeling to your boards will really help to attract pinners and keep them interested. I know it sounds harsh, but avoid ugly pins. You know the kind I am talking about, the blurry, slightly fuzzy, the mismatched fonts and weird colour pairings – just steer clear of them. Don’t forget that you also have secret boards that you can set up to include the less attractive pics, so if you find a killer article with an image that kinda ‘kills’ the mood, save it to a private board instead!

Here is a snippet of my Business Board, as you can see the image aesthetic is fairly consistent. They don’t overly conflict with my own branding and all the pins are on topic!

3. STYLE YOUR BOARD COVERS TO MATCH YOUR BRAND

One thing I love to see on Pinterest is board covers that are styled to match your brand. Let’s look at some people that do this really well!

I particularly love what Julie Harris has done with her board covers. It is very clearly on brand and utilises similar images in the background of each board cover.

Maggie Patterson uses a set colour and font pattern to mix and match, creating a cohesively branded theme for her Pinterest board covers. She selects different images and then places a coloured wash over the image before placing text over the top. This creates a very clear brand identity.

If you are feeling really creative, you can follow Lindsay Goldner‘s lead and create completely unique cover photos for each different board. This is slightly more time consuming but creates a great effect! Just make sure you stick to similar colours and fonts!

It doesn’t take long to create these board covers and they are super easy to put into place! Board covers display at 217px X 146px but I generally create my board covers 2x bigger, so 434px X 292px. Do you use Adobe Illustrator? I have a surprise for you! Scroll down for my FREE Illustrator template. I also recommend saving your cover images as PNGs, but JPG will work too.

I thought I would show you a little before and after so you can see for yourself what a difference this small thing can make to your overall Pinterest account!

As you can see, the topics were consistent and clearly relevant to my target market but the visual was all over the place! Some of the covers were my branding but not on purpose! There was a mishmash of colours, fonts and images and it felt really cluttered and inconsistnent.

So to add your own custom cover photos, open your board and click on the Add A Pin option to the left. Upload your new pin and then go back to your main Pinterest page. Click on the Edit button at the bottom of your board icon and a popup will open with the option to change your cover image. The cover option is half way down the panel, just click on Change. It should display the last image you uploaded/added to your board, so that should be your custom cover photo. If not, just scroll through until you find it and save both the change of image and the edit panel. Your new cover photo should appear! Here is my board all branded. It makes a huge difference and is far more relevant to my brand!

What do you think? It makes a pretty big difference and is definitely more pleasant on the eye! I have saved the Illustrator file I used to create this so if I need to replace any of the images in the future, I don’t have to try to match these images – it’s all still there, and all I need to do is edit them images if needed!

So what are you waiting for!

What do you need to get started on your own branded Pinterest covers?

1. Illustrator (and you can use my template below), Photoshop or even use PicMonkey or Canva
2. Your brand fonts, colours and elements.
3. Backgrounds or you may decide to create solid coloured backgrounds.
4. Half an hour and a bit of imagination!

The post How To Brand + Style Your Pinterest Boards appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

Brand specialists, coaches and designers often talk about branding your business, and while business branding is absolutely my jam, I also want to talk about something I think is just as significant – Personal Branding.

What do I mean by Personal Branding? You may have your own business or perhaps a 9-5 job in an organisation, so you might think personal branding is not for you. Trust me, it is. You are most likely engaging in personal branding activities without even realising. Think about when you post images on your Instagram – even quotes and product images – it all somehow says something about who you are, wether you want it to or not. Regardless of your job and your intention, YOU are a product and also a service. I don’t say that to sound crass or to make you feel objectified or anything like that – the opposite: I want you to understand how truly valuable you are!

We all know that every person has a unique identity. Things that make them who they are and equally, things that they clearly aren’t and won’t stand for. These are elements of your personal brand, and it is really just touching the surface. You personal brand includes everything from what you wear and how you talk, to the images you display, the way you make people feel and your daily life and business systems and process. You are, in essence, your own brand.

Here’s the thing. People like people that they can relate to and they trust people that they can sense are being 100% themselves. It’s one of those weird sixth sense things, but people can smell authenticity a mile away. When someone relates to you and trusts you – you can literally sell them anything! Being really clear on who you are, what your personal brand is and what you stand for is a sure fire way to land that job, make those sales and most importantly, make a real impact on the lives of others! Good personal branding comes hand-in-hand with success and I want to share with you today strategies you can employ to develop your brand identity and how to ‘package’ yourself in a way that communicates who you are, who you want to be and everything in between!

YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

Before you do anything else, consider developing your own personal mission statement. Being really clear about who you are and what you stand for is the best way to lay the foundations for a strong personal brand. Ask yourself questions like:

• What do you really like to do? What makes you feel invigorated and alive? These are things you really should be doing more of and definitely the things you should be putting at the forefront of your personal brand! Think about your skills and your passions – be honest about how good you are at those things! Consider if there is something you would like to improve with and consider taking a class!
• Think also about the people you admire, what qualities do you admire about them? Can you learn anything from these people that will help you to become more of your desired self?

Think about what words you would use to describe yourself. Not sure? Why not open this question to your Facebook friends or community too! Doing it this way keeps them accountable – they are less likely to have a laugh by posting something nasty if their name is attached to it! This can help you to identify how you perceive yourself (or even, how you want to perceive yourself) and any gaps between your list of words and the words of others. Think about how you can bridge any gaps that bother you, look for trends and commonalities between your self-perceived words and the words of others and also be open to words others use that you may not have related to in the past, especially if they are reoccurring. You never know, you may learn something about yourself along the way!

Finally, you most likely have a resume and that is super necessary but try your hand at writing a short bio too. Think of this as your elevator pitch; so if you were in an elevator with a stranger and they said “who are you?” (firstly, I know, that would be weird and you’d be like “eek! stalker!”, but run with me!), what would you tell them? It should be one to two paragraphs and to the point, stating who you are, what you do and what your mission is! You can also include your education, achievements and aspirations. Whatever it is, it should be clear, concise and it should enrapture who you are and what you’re about!

YOUR UNIQUE VOICE

Know your voice and actively assess the way you speak. I think it’s best to keep this flowing into your online persona as it comes across far more authentically. Sometimes I read things on the internet and wonder to myself how that person could possibly speak like this in real life. It feels wrong and so I don’t really trust the person who is speaking to me.

To practice writing in your own voice, rather than writing in words you think people want to hear or expect of you, consider the following:

• Read your written word back to yourself. You will be able to tell instantly if it sounds like you or if it’s laboured and awkward.
• Use a dictaphone – the Dragon Dictation app for iPhone is perfect – and speak your message first before typing it down.

You won’t have to take these measures forever. Slowly your voice will start shining through automatically and you won’t need to think about whether or not it sounds like you or a stranger!

DEVELOP YOUR WEBSITE

Consider creating a website for YOU rather than for your business. It doesn’t need to have a blog component, perhaps it’s a portfolio website that showcases who you are, what you’re about and all the while, making that mission statement loud and clear! It might not even be more than one page, but it should clearly define your style and aesthetic and of course, show a photo or two of you!

Following on from the website, it is a good idea to have a LinkedIn profile too. Enter in as much detail as you can and while you don’t need to update it regularly, having this information in one place is a must!

YOUR IMAGES AND THE IMAGE OF YOU

I believe that personal branding extends to your wardrobe too, to take a minute to consider your personal image. This might be controversial but I honestly believe that the way you dress and the environment you live and work in really does impact on your personal brand. While I don’t think you need to rock around in ‘brand colours’ all the time, I think if you were honest with yourself and really thought about what makes you happy (and let’s face it, a happy you is an authentic you) then you would notice that you are drawn to particular colours and styles. I say, nurse this and develop your sense of style as a deliberate act of personal branding!

Let’s also think about YOU on social media, showing your face and putting as much effort into how you look and are perceived as you put into those ‘artistic flat lays of your coffee cup and book nestled in your bedcovers that tell the story of your relaxing Sunday morning’ is a must! The Think Creative Collection blog outlines why seeing your face is so important and I tend to agree. I want to know who YOU are and what your pretty face looks like and while selfie city is not somewhere I want to be all the time, I enjoy getting a glimpse of who you are visually!

But the images of you that you share on social media isn’t the only important image related aspect to consider! The images of other things that you share on social media is also really important. Think about your interests, your broader missions and align them with images you’re displaying.

CONNECTING AND NETWORKING

Get onto social media, even if you only use it for ‘business’ purposes, ensure that the way you are interacting is on point for your personal brand too. This also flows into what companies you work for and/or how you develop your business brand – make sure you are never compromising your personal brand to fit a corporate or business brand. At the end of the day, if the two aren’t compatible, you are probably in the wrong job.

Build your network both in and out of the office. For small business owners and bloggers, this might be spending time on social media in Facebook communities for example, but it can also include physical networking events, clubs, societies and conferences. I recently joined the Australian Business Chicks community after attending their 9 to Thrive Expo and it opened my eyes up to how valuable this kind of interaction is in developing my personal brand. People got to meet ME rather than just seeing my logo and display picture on social media and it gave me a chance to really evaluate if my personal brand and business brand were aligning!

The last thing I want to mention is that perfection is a process. So I really want to highlight that you don’t need all the answers and the ones you do have are in no way set in stone! Give yourself the room to develop and grow and be prepared to reexamine your response to these cues again and again throughout your life!

I HAVE A SPECIAL DOWNLOAD FOR YOU!

I want to help you develop your personal brand! I honestly believe it is super important, and so, I have created a free workbook just for you! Download and print it or use it on your computer. I guarantee it will give you clarity!

The post Personal Branding: You Are Your Brand appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

Think about when you buy a product or service online. What do you look for? In the last post, I spoke about 6 things that new clients look for when they are searching for a designer and really this applies to all online businesses. One of the things I mentioned in that post was testimonials and today I want to tell you why these things are so insanely powerful, how to get them and where to use them!

Word-of-mouth has now excelled all other forms of marketing, proving to be the most efficient way to influence customers and convince them to purchase what you’re selling. According to a study by BrightLocal, 88% of people are more likely to trust the testimonial of a stranger, than they are traditional and other forms of marketing and advertising. According to Nielsen, this number increases to 92% when it comes from someone they know, trust or identify with.

These are staggering numbers and presents a unique opportunity for you to capitalise on a completely free marketing method!

Testimonials (or reviews) are a form of word-of-mouth that can make or break sales for you. And a good testimonial is worth far more than your Facebook advertising budget!

So let’s break down WHY you need them:

• Testimonials show that people have tried and tested (and LOVED!) your products and/or services, so there’s no need for people to fear! Some people may be afraid that they are your guinea pig and first customer – with testimonials, this fear is put at ease!
• Displaying testimonials from your ideal clients will attract more of the right people, as they will be drawn to people they identify as being similar to their real or aspired self.
• 72% of consumers say reading a positive customer reviews increase their trust in a business. Testimonials not only build trust but also puts a human face on how your products and/or services are used in the real world.

How many testimonials should you display?

While one really great testimonial is more valuable than five sub-par ones, I encourage you to collect as many as you can. Display only the testimonials from your ideal clients, this will help to attract more of the right people. BrightLocal‘s 2015 study indicated:

• 40% of consumers form an opinion by reading 1-3 reviews (vs. 29% in 2014)
• 73% of consumers form an opinion by reading 1-6 reviews (vs. 64% in 2014)
• 88% of consumers form an opinion by reading 1-10 reviews (vs. 84% in 2014)
• Only 12% are prepared to read more than 10 reviews (vs. 16% in 2014)

So it is fair to assume that having around 10 testimonials is a good number to capture the attention of the most potential customers.

But HOW do you get these testimonials?

If you have provided a stellar product and service (and I am sure you have, because your a #BOSS!) your clients will be more than happy to give you a testimonial that will help grow your business. The best time to ask a client for feedback is when you finish a project. I send clients a closing feedback form that I have hosted on my website. I am genuinely interested in gathering feedback to improve my business so I start by asking a series of questions that not only provides me with feedback but also encourages the client to consider the process of working with me and the product/service they received. These questions include:

1. How did you originally hear about Brand IT Girl?
2. Do you feel you were given enough information & guidance over the course of the project?
3. Were you happy with the level of communication we maintained?
4. Do you feel the timeframes were appropriate?
5. Are you happy with the completed project?

At the end of the feedback form I ask for a testimonial. I explain that testimonials help me and my business grow and thrive and kindly ask for a paragraph to include on my website and other communication points. I make it clear that by providing a testimonial, the client is consenting to the use of their words so that there’s no confusion.

I find that a visual element also increases trust, so I always ask my clients to include a photo of themselves that I can use on my website next to their words.

Now you have the testimonials, where do you put them?

There are a range of places you can display your testimonials:

• On a testimonial page. You can see how I have set up my testimonial page here. It’s easy for me to update when I receive feedback from new clients.
• Your homepage. I use the Testimonial Rotator plugin to display testimonials on my homepage. They rotate automatically.
• On Instagram. You could display pretty crafted images displaying the words of others.
• On Facebook. Display new testimonials on your Facebook wall along with a photo of your client.
• In your E-news. Capture on-the-fence potential clients by sharing testimonials in your e-news communications.
• On landing pages and sales pages. Help to convince potential clients by placing testimonials at the place where people are making a decision.
• Share them directly. When you are pitching to a potential client, you can also include testimonials that are relevant to the customer. Don’t order do it though!
• In blog post. You can even include them in blog posts!

So, you haven’t been collecting testimonials. Is it too late?

No way! People don’t forget good products and services, so you could easily backtrack and seek out those precious words of affirmation! Start by making a list of all the clients you have worked with that fit your ideal client description. Create a feedback form on your website (you could also use a third party online form app: JotForm or WuFoo) or draft an email questionnaire.

To make it easy for you. I have created a worksheet that will help you brainstorm and identify who would be good testimonial candidates and provide you with some scripts you could use when approaching these clients!

The post Testimonials – Why You Need Them and How To Get Them! appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

So you are a freelance designer. Or perhaps you own a small, solo design studio. One of your key business activities is to draw in new clients, and let’s face it, there is no reason to make that any harder for ourselves! Each new client will be looking for specific things when they are considering designers for their projects but 6 of the most common things new clients look for include:

1. AN EXAMPLE OF YOUR WORK

Your potential clients what to see your portfolio. They want to see what you have done in the past and compare it against their own brand and the styles they like. This is essentially the main way that new clients judge if they want to work with you. They are constantly asking themselves if your styles match theirs and your portfolio is the best way for them to comfortably make that decision. Display your work in a clear and concise way on your website and be open to answering questions!

2. YOUR BRANDING AND WEBSITE

Your own branding and website is one of the main (and most easily accessible) ways for a potential client to judge if they want to work with you. This happens subconsciously before they even click on your ‘Services’ page or before they email you. If they don’t feel connected with your brand they won’t be contacting you. And worse, if you aren’t putting the effort into your own web and social media presence and branding, then how do you expect them to trust you to put the effort in for their project?

3. TESTIMONIALS AND REVIEWS

Nothing builds trust quite like the words of other people! It’s proven that word-of-mouth is the most effective marketing method, even when the feedback is coming from a perfect stranger! Testimonials work the same way. Ask clients for feedback when you finish a project and don’t forget to ask permission to share their testimonial on your website and social media. The visual presence increases the trust too, so if possible, always include a photo of the person you’re quoting.

I include testimonials on my website in two places: on a testimonial page and on my homepage using the Testimonial Rotator plugin.

4. PROCESS AND DELIVERABLES

Be clear on the process that you will be taking new clients through and what to expect at each stage. Consider the different phases of your project and make this explicit on your website, including what the deliverables are. Consider what file types your client will receive; if they are receiving a mood board and brand board. Outlining the deliverables and how they will be delivered not only builds confidence for you client but will also help you with your workflow as a standard process will be established.

5. WHO HAVE YOU WORKED WITH BEFORE

A lot of clients will ask who you have worked with before them and what kinds of businesses you have designed for. They are making an investment when they sign on with you, so your clients want to make sure they are signing on with someone that understands the market they are operating in. Being transparent about the people you have worked with previously and the scope of business you have worked with too will help to build trust with potential clients.

6. YOUR PERSONALITY

Your clients want to get to know you and what you are like. Ultimately, if you give this person a good feeling and they feel connected to who you are, then they will feel more comfortable investing with you and are more likely to purchase your products and engage your services. Ensure that your brand highlights who you are and how you operate and this will help potential clients to determine if you are a person that they’d like to work with. This is not only vital for your clients – you need to make sure your personality is compatible with the client too. Taking the time to have a Skype meeting or a lengthy email discussion can save incompatibility headaches in the long run!

Some designers are afraid of displaying too much of themselves to potential clients, for fear that they won’t match the clients style or expectations. The beauty of taking these steps to be transparent about who you are, what you offer and produce and how, is that you will only be attracting the right clients for you. Think about it, you can only gain more of the right people by providing all the information that a new client needs to make the decision if they want to work with you. So in the end, everyone wins!

How would you like a free new client audit worksheet to help clear your head about this stuff! Get clarity with the Freelance Designer New Client Audit sheet that will ask you questions and prompt you to consider how you can improve your situation when potential clients consider you as their next designer!

The post Freelance Designers: 6 Things New Clients Look For! appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

I am a huge fan of styled stock photos. In fact, I get pretty excited about Instagram feeds filled with pretty styled desk shots! Who doesn’t love pretty things!

I am helping my friend Alyssa Joy launch her new range of Styled Stock Images today and thought that this would be the perfect time to take a closer look at Styled Stock Photos and how to use them!

Styled stock photographs are images that run with a particular theme or color scheme, created for bloggers and business to use to help draw in potential customers and readers. These images are offered either for free or for sale by photographers and generally display ‘desk’-like surfaces with pretty flowers, computers, keyboards, magazine and stationary items and beauty products that catch the eye of your visitors. While there are masculine styled stock images, at Brand IT Girl, we love the feminine ones more!

These images can be used for a variety of ways and depending on how you crop your images, you can often use the same one several different ways.

Blog and Website Images

Blog and Website Buttons

  

Social Media Cover Photos

Want to know where these cute stock images are from? Get them free here!

CHOOSING TO BUY

When choosing to buy your styled stock images, there are a few things you should be looking for:

1. Check the quality of the image you are purchasing. Make sure that it is a high resolution and that the image dimensions are big enough for your purpose.
2. Have a look at the color palette used in the image and ensure that it matches (or at least compliments) your brand colors.
3. Look at the elements within the image and ensure they are compatible with your brand message. There are some images I can’t use for my brand because the elements within the flat lay are contrary to my brand personality. Just take a moment to really assess if all the items in the image are on brand and avoid confusing your visitors!
4. Can you edit the image with text over the top and different crops? Have a look at the policy of the store you are purchasing from and make sure the image is appropriate for the way you want to use it. Some stores will have editing restraints and you just need to be aware of it!

PLACES TO FIND STYLED STOCK IMAGES

After scene stock photography? Check out my blog post about the best places to find those too!

With so many ways to use them, and such great places to find them, why not add some beautiful styled stock photos to your website and blog!

The post Styled Stock Photos and How to Use them on your Blog and Social Media appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

I can’t believe that 2015 is coming to a close. What a huge year! Brand IT Girl launched only a few short months ago and has grown so quickly, it’s been such an honour to connect with so many of you! To thank you I want to offer every reader a printable workbook to help you wrap-up 2015 in style and plan for life and business success in 2016!

IT’S ABSOLUTELY FREE!!

The 2015/2016 Life + Business workbook has so many great features. It allows you to reflect on what you achieved in 2015, making note of end of year social media numbers, current health and fitness and gives you a chance to take stock of what has happened in your business. The 2016 life and business workbook then helps you to plan your personal and business goals for the new year. Set strategies and actionable steps for success throughout the year and keep track with a monthly goal tracking notebook!

SO MANY FEATURES

REFLECT ON 2015

PLAN FOR 2016

Worried about it fitting your branding?

It’s unbranded! I haven’t put my name or url on any of the main pages. The workbook does include four tear out instruction pages, but these are able to be removed and all traces of my business will be gone. So you can feel like this workbook was made just for you!

HOW CAN I GET IT?

There are really no strings attached. Put your name and email in below and check the box if you would like to be added to the mailing list – there is absolutely no obligation! The very next page you are taken to will include your download!

The post 2015 Wrap-Up + Free Printable 2016 Life + Business Worksheet appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

Let me tell you a client payment story. I once did a job for a person who was launching what would be a chain of stores. I was so excited for the big account, it sounded like a huge game-changer for me. The client had a tight turn around and so I jumped right into the first phase of logo and branding design with just a deposit. All was going great, the project went well and we met deadlines. The next payment was made without a hitch but when it came to the final payment – the biggest one of them all, the client was no where to be seen. I sent email after email, left message after message and nothing. Quite a few weeks later I did get that payment  (without a word of apology for the delay, mind you) and while it did turn out ok for me in the end, this situation taught me a lot about how I need to run my business to safe-guard myself.

How should you deal with lazy payers?

1. Send a friendly email reminding your client that they have an overdue payment. Keep this light, as most people get distracted by life and simply forget to pay your bill. Often, a quick nudge is all they need and they are more than happy to pay what is owed. It’s important to establish the paper trail early, so make sure you are sending emails or written letters and not just nudging them over the phone – get it in writing.
2. If you don’t hear anything again for 2 working days, I recommend sending a second email urging them to pay their outstanding bill and reminding them that they are now outside of the payment timeframe as per your engagement agreement. Stay friendly and polite. Remember, there could be something horrific going on in the client’s life that is preventing them from making payment – stay human and give them the benefit of doubt.
3. Send one more email at 28 days (4 weeks) from invoice and urge the client to make immediate payment. Remind them again of the agreement and explain you will be required to take action if payment is not made by the overdue deadline, setting it at 35 days (5 weeks) after invoice. A little more force may be necessary with this email, a month is plenty of time to make payment or at the very least, let you know what’s holding them up!
4. Engage a solicitor to help recover the payment. Often a letter of demand is all it takes to scare the pants off someone who owes you money. This is the safest method of retrieving your money, but you also need to take into account how much is owed and make a judgement as to whether it is worth your while to engage a solicitor. They can often cost just as much as you are seeking from the client. Some solicitors may be willing to draft you a letter of demand to use in the future when chasing up client payments.

So back to my story, I knew things had to change. I couldn’t keep chasing people that didn’t value my time or respect me enough to pay me (or at least explain why they couldn’t). I took several measures to ensure that this wouldn’t happen to me again:

• I took another look at the contract that I send to custom work clients. I ensured that there were strict 14 day payment guidelines and a cancellation policy that protects both myself and my client.
• I introduced prolonged pre-engagement conversations with potential clients to ensure that we are a good fit. Depending on the project and where the client is located geographically, this conversation may occur via email, Skype or in person. This has been vital in determining if I am the right person for the job and gives us both a chance to get to know each other.
• And finally, I now request full payment upfront. This scares some people away, I will be honest with you – it might not be for you and your business. But I have found that the majority of people don’t mind paying upfront!

The upfront payment has been instrumental in developing a more streamlined approach to my work. It has given me income for the weeks I am working on a project, rather than living on back-pay. It has helped both parties, myself and the client, to know exactly what each of us are getting, how much it will cost and what responsibilities we have. And most importantly, upfront payments have meant no more chasing up clients. This has drastically reduced the stress that waiting for payment puts on me and we all need less stress!

But what if I have a work queue that I am booking clients into?

When should you request this upfront full payment if you are booking clients into a work queue? You are still able to request the full amount without scaring a client away whose project is set to start some weeks or even months. If I am booking a client in for a job starting some time away I will request non-refundable 30% deposit upfront to hold their place in my work queue and then the remaining 70% in the week before the job starts. This gives your client time to budget for the remaining 70% while also protecting your time and any potential lost work if the client pulls out before your scheduled start date.

What if the client is a friend of a friend?

Your client was originally referred to you from a friend that had recommended your services, can’t you just ask your friend to step in? As much as this seems like an easy solution (and believe me, I know how desperate it can get, I too tried this method of payment retrieval) it is by far the least professional. I recommend staying away from this method for two reasons:

1. It makes the person who recommended you feel as though they are at fault in some way. Even if you have no intention of blaming them, it’s an underlying accusatory vibe that your friend can do without. There’s exceptions to every rule and depending on how close you are with the referrer (for instance if it’s your parent or partner) you may be able to share the issue, but as a general rule of thumb: leave the middle man out!
2. It looks unprofessional! Plain and simple. The one and only time I did this, I felt as though I had undermined my authority by involving a third party that really had nothing to do with the issue. Keep it in house and ensure that you are taking responsibility for sorting out the problem yourself.

The moral of my story is to look after yourself and make sure you have a payment structure that not only appeals to your customer, but also protects you! Feel free to shoot through any questions, leave them in the comments and I will answer them all!

The post Why I Ask for Payment Upfront & How to Deal with Lazy Payers appeared first on Brand IT Girl.

Just like your wardrobe, you should spring clean your Instagram feed every now and then and delete under performing and irrelevant posts!

One of the main reasons people don’t edit their Instagram is that they are afraid to lose all their photos which may have been deleted off their phone or computer after posting. what if I told you that there is a easy and simple way for you to save your images AND edit your Instagram? But first, let’s talk about why you should edit your Instagram and what that actually means!

I recently posted about using Instagram stats to get to know how your Instagram account can work for you. Today I want to talk about the very real need for Instagram Editing.

WHAT IS INSTAGRAM EDITING?

Let me ask you this: when you see an Instagram account that get’s you excited, what attributes are you actually seeing?

• A clear strategy and cohesive aesthetic?
• A colour palette and intentionally snapped images?
• Meaningful and value adding photos that inspire you?

I think you would probably say one or two of those, if not all. What you don’t want to see is a mishmash of images that are meaningless to you. Don’t get me wrong, we love seeing snapshots of people’s lives, this is crucial to help us get to know you! But for brands, business owners and bloggers, this can sometimes confuse your visitors.

Instagram editing is something that is not widely talked about, but it really should be. Smart Instagramers are doing it and you should be doing it too. It requires you to consider your Instagram strategy and delete anything that doesn’t fit in with the theme, feeling and message you are trying to communicate to your visitors. A few things you should be striving to achieve:

• Content Consistency
  Don’t confuse other Instagramers. Be consistent in the types of images that you post and the subject matter.
• Visual Consistency
  Design a visual strategy for your Instagram. Think about what colours you will predominantly use and how these will fit together with each other.
• Using Text
  Think about how you will use text and quotes. Have a strategy for when they will appear and how you will distribute them evenly across your feed.
• Glimpses of You
  People love to see glimpses into your life, but think before you post and think about if it is relevant and of interest for your viewers.

I actually used to be pretty bad at the Instagram game. This is an example of the kinds of posts that you would find on my feed. Everything from blog adverts, to travel images, selfies and product advertising. It was a mess of colours (and not in the intentional way). My viewers were confused about what to expect from me and a lot of my posts weren’t really relevant to anyone but me!

Applying a bit of IG editing, an investment of time and a Instagram strategy allowed me to transform my feed into something far more interesting, visually appealing and relevant for the audience I want to attract.

I began to post a combination of inspiring and motivational quotes, lifestyle images and blog post adverts that help me to connect with the people I really want to be connecting with. On top of that, I chose a distinct colour palette that was in line with my brand and created quote images that displayed my logo at the bottom. Since I have started to be intentional with my feed, I have noticed a drastic increase in followers and engagement! And I am sure you will too!

Want to see more? Follow me at @thebranditgirl

SO HOW DO YOU PREVENT LOSING YOUR PHOTOS?

There is a great (free) service called Instaport and it is going to make it possible for you to edit your Instagram without actually losing any of your photos!

Login with your Instagram account. It will ask you to authorise the app, go ahead and do that and it will take you the next screen.

Select ‘All My Photos’ in the ‘Choose your export options’ palette and click ‘Start Export’.

It may take a few moments depending on the size of your Instagram feed and once it’s finished, download it to your computer. It will download in a Zip folder and again it may take a few moments to download, but once it does, all your Instagram photos should be there in a folder for you!

Get to it and edit your Instagram! You won’t regret it!

The post Edit Your Instagram (Without Losing Photos) appeared first on Brand IT Girl.