May 21, 2018
Get ready for Part 3 of the
Branding Series. Hopefully, you’ve found the content from the past
two weeks helpful, and this week we’re going to talk about web
presence. The Internet is such a powerful tool in branding
your business. It helps solitic customers, connects you with your
customers, but most importantly, it serves as a your introduction
to your customer base.
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This week, I welcomed Jess
Freeman who is a graphic and web designer, and also the creator and
owner of JessCreatives. With her business, Jess helps business
owners create and/or define their brands through aesthetically
alluring graphical depictions or by establishing an easily
functional website. Jess also helps her clients use various web and
business tools to broadened their reach and diversify their web
presence.
In the episode Jess discusses
how to create a website, if you opt to create one yourself, and
things to look for if you choose to hire a designer. We also
discuss the essentials for web content and the most optimal content
management systems, and some that you should probably
avoid.
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thoughts:
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SHOWNOTES
- Know that your website and brand will
continue to evolve as you grow
- To start off, you need a minimal viable product: website with 4
to 5 pages
- Top three content management systems (CMS) to use:
- Squarespace: Perfect for a business that does
not need any customizable elements on the website; it’s easy to
set-up
- WordPress: Great for membership sites,
tripwire pages (opt-ins), webinars, podcast analytics, and any
other specialized areas; steep learning curve technically, you can
pay someone to create it; have to find a host, and searching for
themes can be daunting because they’re endless
- Shopify: If products are the main driver of
your business or if you have a store front, this is the best CMS;
makes it easy to sell products on social media platforms
- CMS’s you should NOT use Wix and Weebly; they are not fully
responsive and are not reputable systems used by major
companies
- Responsive design: a website that reformats
and works correctly when viewed on a mobile and desktop device
- Don’t get caught up in the bells and whistles of a platform;
choose one that’s right for you and your budget
- Website pages to consider:
- Home page: Your welcome mat, the front door of
your business; should lead people on a path
- About: Where people can learn about you and
your business
- Service: Highlight the things you do; may need
separate pages depending on services
- Contact: Doesn’t have to be a page; you could
have one that’s a popup or that leads to a form like Typeform
- Blog: Every business owner should be
blogging
- Testimonials: Show off all of your client
love
- Portfolio: If you are a designer, artist,
maker, or just have any type of work to show off
- Tips for organizing your content:
- Use Google Drive and Dropbox to organize text and images
- Think about what you want people do on each page
- What is the number-one or main goal of your website (to solicit
clients, to encourage people to sign-up for your newsletter, or to
request people to join a FaceBook group, etc.)?
- Do not get to caught up on choosing a theme for your website;
choose a premium theme because they usually come with support and
more flexibility
- If you’re looking to hire a designer:
- Make sure the person has the aesthetic you’re looking for (more
than just using your favorite colors, you’re looking for
style)
- If you’re looking for something specialized, like an e-commerce
site, make sure they have experience with building what you’re
looking for
- Make sure you have most of your content together
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): know that it’s more about
content versus the platform you choose
- We discuss the importance of incorporating video into your
brand now:
- Remember your video doesn’t have to be perfect
- Don’t get caught up in equipment
- Focus on content, story, and value
- Note sure what to talk about? Try turning your blog content
into a video
- “How To” videos are the best to start with because YouTube is a
search engine and that’s what people are normally starting their
questions with
- SEO: videos can help you show up in searches more because
people are staying on your site longer; Google likes websites with
dynamic content
LINK LOVE
Jess Freeman
Website: jesscreatives.com
Instagram: @jesscreatives
Facebook Group: The Digital Lounge: Design and Video Mastermind for
Creatives
Podcast: The Digital Lounge: Design and Video
Tips for Entrepreneurs
Twitter: @jesscreatives
Pinterest: @jesscreatives
YouTube: Jess Creatives
WHERE’S NACHE’
Website: nachesnow.com
Facebook: studio78podcast
Instagram: @nachesnow
Youtube:
Nache Snow
Twitter: @nachesnow
LinkedIn: nachesnow
Podcast:
Studio 78
Pinterest: Tallook
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an Effective Website appeared first on Nache’ Snow - Resources for
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