S E P T E M B E R 2 017
BRAND & BLOSSOM
PREMIER ISSUE
LOG O S
L O U IS E EDU
CAN VA
C HO S PIC ER
FA C EBO O K PRO F IL ES
C HRIS S Y M ARQ U A R D T
editor’s note Welcome to the premier issue of Brand & Blossom magazine! I wanted to make a creative way to follow along the show that was different from traditional “show notes’. A new issue will be released every month, recapping the last four episodes in article format. They can be read alone, or they can be a useful guide to read after the podcast. Each article has clickable links to resources. I wanted to create an interactive guide that has everything in one place. Thanks for reading. I’d love to know what you think! Follow along @ brandandblossompodcast on Instagram and drop me a message. When you see the the episode. Until next time, Stacy
icon, it takes you to iTunes so you can download
table of contents A B O UT BRAND & BLOSSOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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T H E LOW DOW N ON LOGOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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CA NVA EXPLAINED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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FA CE BOOK PERS ONAL PROF IL ES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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LOUISE EDU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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CHO SPICER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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CHR ISSY MARQUARDT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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the story behind
BRAND & BLOSSOM
O
nce upon a time, I got the idea of creating business called, “Brand and
Blossom”. I liked the name, but wasn’t really sure what it meant yet. I just knew it would be good. All of a sudden, I found myself using the tag line, “Building Brands and Empowering Entrepreneurs.” Honestly, I have no idea what
And then I remembered the domain name I
inspired it. I just liked the alliteration.
registered years ago.
But the more I thought about it, the more
Something that has always been a
powerful I knew it would be.
dominating factor in all of my work
I’ve worked as a freelance graphic designer and photographer for a while, but I wanted to create something MORE. Something bigger. Something that would inspire people. I’ve toyed with the idea of a podcast. It was originally called “Enchantedpreneur”, with the idea of a membership site on the back end. It was good idea, but I wasn’t as passionate about it as I thought. The message was just too generic.
is branding. I designed graphics, I photographed portraits, all with the intention of supporting the overall brand. Because branding has been instrumental in growing my business. So now, I’ve created a podcast and this supplemental magazine to empower entrepreneurs to build their brands and grow their businesses. I hope you enjoy, and I hope that I can be a tool in your box that helps your business flourish and thrive.
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logos THE LOW DOW N ON
L
ogos have a tendency to be overrated. They are important for brand recognition, yes, but many entrepreneurs tend to place too much emphasis on their logo when they
could be working on something else instead.
D O L O G O S R E ALLY MATTE R ?
They matter for brand recognition. Logos are there to reinforce brand consistency among content and products. Logos in and of themselves do not make or break a sale. They simply get the conversation started. W H I CH L O GO IS “BE TTE R ”?
When it comes to comparing logos to each other, the best logos have the following: flexible design can be made into a 1:1 square, a small icon, large window display, black and white. looks good across all platforms looks good on mobile, desktop, tablet, printed, etc. attracts your ideal customer I don’t want to say “stands out”. I can make a pink-striped zebra with a teal tutu and a polka dot umbrella. It will stand out yes, but it will not attract my ideal client. W H Y S I MPLE IS BE TTE R
Simple icons are flexible. They show up great both large and small scale. They work on several platforms including digital and print. Fewer colors results in less printing issues. You can have more complex logos, but also have simplified versions to use across different media formats.
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canva E X P L A I N E D
1.
W H AT IS CANVA
Canva is a web-based design tool that allows you to create graphics. You can choose from templates or create your own. 2.
CA N VA IS GR E AT FOR
Social media graphics, such as Instagram and Pinterest images, as well as Facebook ad graphics. Image and text placement is very flexible. 3.
CA N VA IS NOT GR E AT FO R
Multi-page .pdf documents. Unlike Microsoft Word or Apple Pages, then pages do not expand when you add more content. Instead, you must create additional pages and text boxes manually. It gets worse when you need to add/delete text after you’ve already placed your content. 4.
U S IN G TE MPLATE S
Templates can be a great starting point. But be careful. Oftentimes people do not adjust the text to fit the graphic, resulting in either too much text or too much white space (empty space). 5.
CA N VA F OR WOR K
Canva for Work is their premium feature which allows you to use your own fonts, instantly resize graphics to fit any social media platform, create brand boards, as well as share documents with your team. The free version of Canva works great, but Canva for Work is recommended if you plan on using Canva for branded graphics, which require your own fonts and colors.
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facebook P E R S O N A L
P R O F I L E S
So much emphasis is placed on our Facebook public pages that we neglect our personal profiles. But our personal profiles can play an important and vital role to our business. Anytime you leave a comment in a Facebook group, use your profile to interact with potential clients (either through Messenger or using a Facebookconnected app, you usually use your personal page. When potential clients click on your profile, you want them to see that it’s just as professional and clean as your main page. Here are some tips to help.
1.
PR O F ESS ION AL AVATAR
Avoid using a picture of your dog or family as your avatar. I know, it’s tempting. But as a business owner, you want to show yourself in the best light possible. Your picture will show up whenever you interact on Facebook so make sure it’s a good one. 2.
W O R KPLACE AN D OCCUPAT IO N
Use the Workplace feature to add your “current employment”, which is your business. Type your name in the field. When your business names pops up, click on it. That way your Facebook page is linked to your personal profile. 3.
CO V E R PH OTO
The cover photo is a great place to redirect visitors to your Facebook page or website. Use a cover photo that represents your business. In the description, link to your website or to your Facebook page. 4.
R E L E VANT CON TE N T ON P UBLIC FEED
People will check to see what kind of content you’re posting. If you’re posting lots of negative things, people may not want to follow you. Conversely, if there’s virtually nothing on your public page, then people may wonder if you’re a “real” person. 5.
R E MINDE R : YOU R PE R S ONAL PA GE IS NO T FO R SA LES P ROMO T I ONS
Facebook has strict rules against posting promotions on your personal page. While technically you can share out posts from your business page, avoid posting blatant “buy now” post and images.
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LOUISE EDU of MIGHTY MOMPRENEURS
HOW TO G R O W AN E NGAG E D FA CE B O O K G R OUP Louise is the founder of Mighty Mompreneurs, a group of highly engaged mom entrepreneurs. Louise has taken the group from zero to nearly 3,000 active and engaged members. Here are her top tips for growing an engaged Facebook group. 1.
S TA R T WITH IN TE N TION .
Louise didn’t go after everyone. She specifically set out to attract mompreneurs who were looking for a community of support. 2.
S TA R T S MALL, TH E N GR OW FROM T HERE.
Louise started out with a small core of raving fans. She made sure to nurture her members by showing up daily, providing valuable content. Those core fans then told their friends, who told their friends, and her group grew from there. 3.
S H O W UP CON SIS TE NTLY
Showing up consistently shows your audience that you care for them. It also makes you reliable and trustworthy. 4.
S H O W UP LIV E
Facebook really encourages live video. With the algorithm favoring live video, your group posts will show up more on the main feed.
Join Louise at
M I G H T Y M O M P R E N E U RS 13
CHO SPICER of FEMARGENT
T H E P O W E R O F NE TWOR K ING + CO L L A B O R AT ION Cho Spicer created the Femargent app, which drops September 16 in the iTunes store. The app allows users to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs who want to grow their business together. Here’s how to make the most of the Femargent app. 1.
CR E ATE A PR OFILE
Create your profile in the Femargent App. Fill out as many details as possible to connect with the right people. 2.
N E TWOR K WITH SOCIAL M EET UP S
Meet up with other like-minded female entrepreneurs. The app allows you to find and host your own meetup events. 3.
CO L L ABOR ATE
Are you a photographer in need of a makeup artist, or vice versa? Use the app to find other people who are open to collaborating on projects. 4.
L E A R N AN D GR OW
Femargent offers a host of free resources in the app. Access their library of resources and downloadable tools including email marketing tools to business templates.
download the app at
F E M A RG E N T. C O M 15
CHRISSY MARQUARDT of DIY WEBSITE NINJA
HOW TO D I Y YOU R WE BSITE Chrissy Marquardt is a web designer who’s energy radiates off the screen. Her magnetic personality draws you in. So when you’re looking for someone to teach you design, Chrissy is your girl. Here are her five steps to DIY’ing your site: 1.
CH O OS E YOUR D OMAIN
Top tips: make it easy to remember and spell. Go with a .com if you can. 2.
CH O OS E YOUR H OST
Chrissy highly recommends Site Ground (Chrissy’s affiliate link). 3.
IN S TALL WOR DPR E SS
Check out 5daywebsiteclass.com for the EXACT step-by-step guide. 4.
IN S TALL YOUR TH E ME
Install DIVI theme if you want to create a site where you can drag and drop elements. 5.
CR E ATE YOUR PAGE S
Start adding pages to your site. DIVI has premade layouts for you to make it easy. You absolutely MUST check out 5daywebsiteclass.com. It’s an incredible resource for anyone who wants to learn how to DIY their site from scratch.
learn how to build your website today at
5 DAY W E B S I T E C L A S S . C O M 17
B E H I N D E V E RY
successful WO M A N is
herself
freebies Here’s a roundup of all the featured freebies in this issue. MIGHT Y MO MP RENEURS
www.facebook.com/groups/mightymompreneurs (check out the Files tab - so many goodies!) FEMARGENT A P P
www.femargent.com 5 DAY W EBSIT E C LASS
www.5daywebsiteclass.com
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FINAL THOUGHTS I hope you enjoyed this premier issue of Brand & Blossom. I look forward to seeing you in our next issue, featuring the fabulous Kimra Luna.