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Surprise Name Change at Google HQ

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Google My Business is becoming Google Business Profile. How will this impact your business?

Google My Business (GMB) rebrands to Google Business Profile (GBP). Is it their fourth, fifth, sixth name change? We’ve lost count…

Curve is a big believer in optimizing GMB pages (is yours optimized?) so we were paying close attention to the announcement. To be honest, we always thought the Google My Business name was kind of weird and confusing, so the new name is an improvement. 

So — besides the name, what’s the big difference?

First off, the team behind the application for local listings “GMB” is killing off its dedicated app while shifting users to Google’s web experience. These are Google’s efforts to unify the current business profile management ecosystem by bringing it out of the mobile app and making it more accessible directly via Chrome, Google Search results, Maps and their respective apps. 

Users can easily claim and verify their business listing ownership through the search query, without having to log into Google Business Profile manager. Simply search for your business in Google Maps and Search, then edit the listing there.

Second, during the months to come, the current GMB management interface will also be updating and making the move to primarily support businesses managing multiple locations. It’s all meant to streamline the ordeal of using Google’s tools to manage your business listings. The only caveat is that there will be many business managers left frustrated as they lose their handy mobile app, being required to handle things through the web browser. 

Most of the big changes are expected to take place after the new year at some point in 2022 but it’s not yet clear when businesses will have to adapt to their new Google Business Profile home. 

Do the changes affect your business? Other than a flashy name change, there isn’t much going on here. You will still have access to the features that you do now. These changes don’t affect how we optimize our listings. But they might affect where we go to manage our listings.

Whatever happens, Google’s increased attention and development of the Business Profile tool will continue moving forward and the team at Curve believes your business should keep an eye on what Google is up to. Because if you don’t, as Google continues to develop their suite of tools for local search, you will only lose your standing in search results and that’s going to hurt your sales. 

Don’t wait to get your listing update; download our how-to book right now or book a meeting for a free business analysis. Stay on top of Google, any way you can! 

P.S: Developers need not fret as the Google My Business Profile API is only renaming to Business Profile API and will retain current functionality while remaining under active development, according to Google. 

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5 Tips That Will Elevate Your GMB

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*Changes are coming to GMB, read our next blog for more information*

Google My Business is the tool that almost every business overlooks, but it holds a ton of value when new and current customers are looking at your business. 

Did you know that 46% of all Google searches are for local information? Google My Business is a powerful tool that people use EVERY DAY to find local businesses through a simple Google search. Essentially it’s that little rectangle of business info that pops up when you search, for example, “ice cream near me”. This is why you should make sure that the information that appears in that pop-up is both accurate and trustworthy. When doing so, pay attention to these specific ranking factors:

  1. Business information and hours
  2. Google reviews
  3. Photos
  4. Categories and services/products
  5. Business-to-customer interaction

So how do you know if you have a good GMB? As a small business, it really comes down to the basics. Learning how to utilize them to your advantage is important in order to stand out and beat your competitors. If your Google My Business account is not optimized, then Google’s web crawlers will instead prioritize a business that is. Today we review five strategies to guarantee your listing is chosen over your competition. 

Accurate Business Information and Hours

How many times have you looked up a business, and the hours on the GMB listing say that it’s open? But when you show up to the business, it’s closed. For many potential customers, this happens way too often. It’s also not just small businesses making this fatal mistake, it’s even BIG brands like Sephora, H&M, and plenty of others. They fail to update even this “small” piece of information. It’s wild that these are companies that have massive marketing teams, but even they overlook the power of GMB. So don’t let that happen to you. 

The first thing you need to do is log into your GMB, and take a look at the Info tab of your business page.

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Go through the page and see if everything looks correct — and pay close attention to your hours and address. 

Many businesses will set up their info, and then never look at it again. Not realizing that information may eventually be outdated. The other reason to check often is that Google users and your potential customers can suggest changes to your business info. And Google may go in and change it without you even knowing it. So it’s important to check this page frequently. 

If your address and business hours are looking good, take a look at the the More hours and Special hours sections:

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This is another important section to not overlook. More likely than not, there are holidays on which you are closed or have limited hours. So make sure you add those in, and routinely update them (they won’t automatically update yearly). Doing this will take out the guesswork for your clients, who are trying to figure out whether you’re open on Thanksgiving, and will save you an angry review or phone call.

Google Support explains “Businesses with complete and accurate information are easier to match with the right searches.” This is why it’s so important to enter all business information accurately and to update frequently so future customers understand where you are, what you do, and when they can stop in.

Google Reviews

Speaking of reviews, positive Google reviews are one of the BEST ways to nudge your GMB up to #1 on Google Search Results without spending money on ads. Google has a system in place that is constantly checking on the trustworthiness of a GMB, so having lots of reviews not only looks good for a customer, but it also helps build trust with Google, because real people are verifying that you exist. 

Next, ensure you are replying to your reviews, whether they’re positive or negative. In the age of information, ignorance is a choice. Customers nowadays want proof that a business is accountable to customer expectations. Engaging with both positive and  negative reviews shows the public that your organization cares about customer satisfaction. So thank your customers for positive reviews to build loyalty, and don’t shy away from negative reviews. You can turn a disgruntled customer around by addressing the issues raised.

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Lastly, ask your customers to leave reviews! The more the merrier, so don’t be afraid to reach out. If you’re overwhelmed with the task of manually asking for reviews, there are plenty of programs (including Curve’s own program, Cedar) that can automate review campaigns for you! Take some stress off your back and generate lots of positive reviews!

Improve Photos and Videos

Another frequently overlooked feature of a GMB page is the photos section. It is proven that a potential customer is more likely to choose a GMB that has over 100 photos, than a business that only has a few. When first creating your GMB – much like with social media, you can add a cover photo and logo. These authenticate your business in the eyes of customers and will bring more click-throughs to your website and more requests for information. Adding photos to your GMB is vital to bringing in new customers. 

Some great photo ideas to add to your GMB are:

  • Exterior photos of your storefront or office
  • Interior photos of your office, business, or store
  • Photos of staff working, having fun together, and interacting with customers
  • Photos of your owners interacting with staff and customers, holding events, working, discovering new ideas
  • Customers interacting with your business or using products and services
  • Before/After photos (if applicable)
  • Photos of events and holidays
  • Photos of products and/or services
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There are many ways to add to the photo section of your GMB. But make sure these photos are flattering to your business. For example, don’t post a photo of your storefront looking empty or closed. You want people to be able to recognize your business both on the computer and in real life.

Another option to consider is getting professional photos taken of your business.  For example, Airbnb noted a 40% increase in earnings when hosts uploaded professional photos to their listings. High-quality photos can make a huge difference, and in the end they pay for themselves.

Take Advantage of the Posts tab

The Posts tab is probably the most underutilized section of a GMB. It is a great way to directly promote updates and infuse your GMB with information that both Google and potential customers will want to see.

The Updates tab has 3 main sections:

  • Offers
  • What’s New
  • Events

And you can create 4 different types of posts by adding:

  • Offer
  • Update
  • Event
  • Product
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You can use these sections to promote sales, discounts, and special events that are happening at your business, and it’s 100% free to do so. (Free advertising in this day and age? Wow!)  Bonus: it will boost your visibility even more on Google search results, making it easier for people to find you. 

Also, according to Google, posts with rich media (GIFs, videos and photos) attract significantly more engagement from customers. To help increase this engagement, your posts need a relevant call-to-action and a link.  

Finally, because your GMB is updated with the latest about your business, why wouldn’t a potential customer choose you over any other competition? It’s a win-win for everyone. 

Pro tip: One great way to take full advantage of GMB posts is to share snippets from your most recent blog post and link back to the original.

Create an FAQ for Your GMB

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Lastly, a great feature that can be added to your GMB, which is overlooked by many businesses, is the Questions and Answers section. The Q&A section of Google My Business can be used to attract customer traffic to your website. The questions and respective answers are showcased publicly and can even show up at the top of your listing. If a customer happens to search for a term related to a question or answer posted within your listing, then your business will most likely be the top search result for said query.

In order to access it, however, you have to go to the actual listing page on either Google Maps or as a Google search result. There you can actually write your own questions to your page and answer them. So this is a fantastic opportunity to sneak in an FAQ! 

We suggest picking three commonly asked questions to which your clients frequently need answers. Respond with some great answers to those questions, and you can even add a link to a section of your site to direct traffic there. That way, when people come across your GMB, their questions will have already been answered and they’ll be even more inclined to choose your service/products. It’s also a great way to show you are engaged and that you CARE about your Google audience and provide more information from the get-go. 

Bonus tip! Turn on Messaging

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Did you know that your GMB has its own messaging system? This is a great way to connect with people by allowing them to contact you directly through Google Maps or Google Search Results. You can access this feature either through the desktop or even the app. However, you have to make sure that you typically reply within 24 hours. If you don’t, Google will sometimes turn off the feature due to inactivity, and it can even hurt your search results. 

Google My Business is a feature that has been out for a few years now, and it’s still very much uncharted territory for many businesses. So take some time to play around with it, and try to figure out how you can best benefit from it. It’s so much more than just filling out your business information and then never looking at it again. Google My Business, if used correctly and effectively, can be one of your most valuable tools when it comes to marketing your company.

GMB STRATEGY BOOK

If you’d like some help getting started, we’re here for you! Click here to schedule a chat with the team at Curve Communications.

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What NOT to do on Video Conference Calls

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We’re many months into the pandemic (we’ve officially stopped counting), yet every now and then we hear a story about someone doing something embarrassing on a video conference call. 

Virtual meetings have become the new norm for many of us who work in the office, but whether you’re at home or in the office there is some simple etiquette you should follow to avoid the dreaded Zoom fail. 

So, whether you’re new to one of the many video conference platforms, such as Zoom, Teams or Slack, or even if you’re a veteran, you can avoid risking embarrassment (or even worse, your job) by avoiding these four missteps:

DON’T Assume the Microphone is off

It’s always a good idea to keep your microphone off when on a video call. It gives the presenter the ability to speak without being interrupted. However, there’s an old rule for anyone in journalism: always assume the mic is on – even if it’s not. It’s safe to say that this rule now applies to anyone in front of a computer during a virtual meeting. Even if you think you’ve turned your microphone “off,” there are situations where a button accidentally gets pushed and the next thing you know, your team members are hearing things they shouldn’t — you muttering your true feelings, your kids screaming in the background, dogs barking, or even worse, someone farting–like this teacher who sends her students into a giggle fit when she accidently farts on camera.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvzB-ZQ_8oI

DON’T take your Computer to Private Places

As with any real meeting, nature calls. If you’re on a laptop, resist the urge to take it with you to the bathroom. It sounds silly but there are countless stories of people being caught on in the bathroom thinking their camera and/or microphone was off. Like Jennifer, for example, who didn’t let her meeting get in the way of having to go pee. Needless to say her colleagues were pretty shocked and Jennifer quickly became an internet celebrity with the trending hashtag #PoorJennifer. Don’t be like Jennifer. Leave the laptop where it is and excuse yourself, if needed. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xqLjc2y6O4

DON’T Assume Video Backgrounds Block Everything

The most “fun” feature that Zoom and Teams offer are the virtual backgrounds. They are great for blurring out a messy room in the background of your shot. There are many cool backgrounds you can use, from beach settings to outer space. You can even import your own images and use them as a background. However, a video background won’t hide everything. If there’s a moving object or person the effect doesn’t work. Unfortunately, one former Vancouver Councillor found this out the hard way — live on air with Global BC. During his Zoom interview, his husband made a “cheeky” appearance in the background and that’s when he and many others learned that digital backgrounds don’t block everything. 

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/cheeky-mishap-vancouver-buttocks-exposed-during-live-interview-video-bc-2830505

DON’T Eat on Camera

With a full fridge always nearby, it’s easy to always have something to eat while you’re working from home. However, eating while you’re on camera is just bad virtual meeting etiquette (unless you’re all eating on camera). If your meeting is running late and you’re really hungry, it’s best to turn off the camera and microphone to eat. No one wants to watch you munch on a sandwich while they’re speaking.

Conclusion

If you’re new to virtual meetings, it’s always best to practice, practice, practice before you make a real call. While Zoom and Teams are pretty easy and straightforward to use, there are many features that can throw you off. Get to know each platform before your meeting because they are different! It’s also a good idea to test out your camera and microphone beforehand to ensure they’re working properly and that you’re comfortable turning them on and off. And more importantly, be on your best behaviour; you never know what can happen or who is watching. 

The team at Curve would love to meet with you on Zoom! What do you want to talk about? We promise not to eat while we chat. Contact us here. 

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Three Handy Tips To Attract Sponsors To Your Event

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So you’ve got an event coming up, but you don’t quite have the budget to pull it off the way it exists in your planner brain. You need a bigger budget! You need sponsors. 

Not always an easy task. Pitching sponsors can feel like going to endless job interviews, since both are all about selling yourself (well, your event), and making your proposal stand out above the many others that are also coming in. It’s convincing your crush that they should choose you. Because you, of course, will be the one to make all their (marketing) dreams come true …or something like that.

In order to attract sponsors to come on board with your event, here are a few things you should consider.

Make It About Them

No matter how friendly your potential sponsor seems, they’re not going to give you money just because you ask nicely. There has to be something in it for them—something good! Sponsors are looking for opportunities that benefit and support their marketing goals. Can your event offer some perks that align with their current marketing campaign?

Do some research before you even make contact. Get a sense of the organization’s community outreach goals, their mission statement, their key areas of investment, and find that sweet spot where your event fits. And be genuine—if you can’t find a reasonable connection or an avenue for your event to legitimately benefit the sponsor, then it will do you no good to make promises you can’t keep. 

Let’s go back to the idea of job hunting. You are not about to send the same generic cover letter or resume to every company out there. You will customize it and explain specifically what you can provide for that potential employer, just as you must customize your sponsorship proposal to meet the needs of your potential sponsor. The same rules apply, so make yourself and your organization attention-grabbing and relevant!

Provide Lots of Data

When you are preparing the proposal, it is important to include all relevant details and data. The sponsor will be looking at your event as an advertising opportunity, so they’ll want to see some statistics before they decide that your event is a worthwhile investment. Here are a few pieces of information you should be prepared to share:

  • Provide information about anticipated attendance, as well as the demographics of those in attendance. It is best when the target market of your brand matches that of the prospective sponsor. Could members of your audience be potential customers for your new sponsor? What can you do to increase the likelihood that they are, or that they could become such? Let them see how they will be reaching the right audience by contributing to your event.
  • You should also have statistics about social media engagement. Demonstrate that your audience is an attentive and social one, and that your potential sponsor would benefit from being the object of this potentially far-reaching attention. And encourage your audience to share! #mutuallybeneficial
  • Show how you will measure the success of your event, and therefore how your sponsor will easily recognize that their investment was a wise business move. 
  • Get testimonials from past sponsors. Specific reactions from previous supporters of your event will give your potential new sponsor something to which they can relate.
  • It can also useful to be particular about the funding you require. Break down the relevant parts of your budget and where your potential sponsor’s funding would go.

Consider Different Type of Sponsorship and Maximize the Non-Financial Benefits

Give your sponsors options for how they can show their support. While some might have a monetary allowance they can spend, others might only be willing to participate with an in-kind agreement of goods or services. Be flexible! Are there ways you can maximize an in-kind contribution? 

Perhaps you can use a sponsor’s gift as a door prize, which offers value to your audience. Maybe they are willing to provide a particular service at your event, which can help you save on event expenses. Ultimately you want to build ongoing partnerships with your sponsors, so be open-minded—you never know what might happen and it could be the start of a great and long-lasting relationship.

If the arrangement is for a financial contribution, be sure to provide sponsors with multiple tiers of sponsorship options—and be clear about what they will get in return at each level. List everything, even the things that might seem obvious to you. 

For example, if you will have a professional photographer at the event, you can ask your photographer to ensure they capture the sponsor’s logo or event-attending rep in action. Then make sure the sponsor gets emailed copies of those photos, which can be super valuable when they need to report back to their superiors on how they spent their sponsorship budget. 

As another example, maybe your sponsor has a trade show booth and they’re looking for exposure. If your event has the space for it, why not offer them some real estate? It’s an additional perk for your sponsor, and costs you nothing. You have just added value to your proposal without spending a penny.

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In what other ways might you offer value to your sponsor? Don’t be afraid to ask them directly. Your attention to detail here can make all the difference: not only can it determine whether or not a sponsor views your event as a valuable investment they want to repeat in the future, but if you take full advantage of your resources, you may be surprised at how much extra value you can give back to that sponsor. 

In the end, it’s all about building relationships. Your organization is seeking funding, and your potential sponsor is hopefully looking for exposure and/or marketing & PR opportunities. With the right match and a little creativity, you can develop a mutually-beneficial arrangement that has both parties feeling like they’ve won the lottery! 

Still feel like you need some support? Reach out to us at Curve and we’ll be thrilled to help you out.

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Easy Tips and Tricks to Elevate your Facebook Business Page

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A Facebook business page is a free-to-set-up page that businesses can create on Facebook to increase their online visibility. Just like a personal Facebook profile, your business page on Facebook can send and receive messages, post updates, and receive notifications. Your business page can also like, comment on, and share the content of other Facebook users and pages.

When it comes to Facebook business pages, there are an endless number of profiles. This can make it difficult to stand out as a brand. However, simply paying for ads isn’t the only thing you can do to boost engagement. There are numerous ways to elevate your Facebook business page!

Share Industry News on Your Feed

If your clients/customers/followers work in the same industry as your business, it’s a great idea to share industry news on your Facebook page. Sharing relevant and fascinating industry news demonstrates to your customers and followers that your business is current with industry trends. It also indicates that your company is invested in its niche. Which may assist and build trust between you and your potential clients and customers. It may even open up relevant discussion, incite questions. And most importantly, boost interaction with your posts, which ultimately increases your relevance on the Facebook platform.

Study the Competition

When you’re just getting started on Facebook, it can be super intimidating competing with similar companies that have massive followings and picture-perfect social media posts. However, every business page started with nothing at one point. So whether you have fifty or fifty thousand supporters, don’t give up just because your competitors are seemingly “doing better” than you are. Likely, most of them are playing the Facebook guessing game, just like you.

So what can you do with that? Well, study your competition and take what works and doesn’t work for them. Allow it to assist you in achieving success on your Facebook page. Determine which businesses in your industry have done an excellent job of building a Facebook community. Pay attention to the sort of posts and content that generates the most significant engagement from their followers.

Hold a Contest on Facebook

Once you’ve built up a dedicated following, hold a contest! Giving away a prize through a contest post on Facebook is a pretty effective way to increase engagement on your page. Programs like ShortStack or Gleam are two great tools for building successful contests for your Facebook page. They include great design customization that allows you to create eye-catching and high-performing competitions while capturing leads, all in one platform. 

Find New Ways to Show Off Your Products and/or Services!

Use your creativity and attempt to appeal to your followers’ needs. This can be done by uploading funny, interesting, or relevant content that promotes your products and/or services. For example, plan a photo shoot to get professional photos of your clothing line, or take an internet trend and incorporate your product into it. Even just silly interviews around the office are a great way to show your followers that you’re present and fun to work with. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and make your followers feel included in your brand story.

Keep Engaging!

The most common error businesses and organizations make when they first start on Facebook is failing to maintain an active presence once their page is established. You’re not going to see massive growth if you’re just posting once a month or only when you have something significant to market. Following the creation of your business page, keep the following in mind: 

  • Be a human being! Facebook users come to Facebook to interact with their friends, not to purchase your product, so talk to your followers and engage them in conversations.
  • Keep your status updates brief and concise. If they’re super long, people may not take the time to read them.
  • Keep in mind that people are more likely to look at content that includes photos and videos, so include them whenever possible.
  • Consider the time of day when posting: when are most of your followers online?
  • Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your posts should be valuable and useful for your audience, and 20% of your posts should be directly promoting your business. 
  • Avoid posting more than 1-2 posts each day since this can overwhelm the feed of your followers and cause them to unfollow your page.

Conclusion

Facebook is by far the largest social network on the planet. Therefore, if you’re looking to grow your business online, it’s an obvious choice to create a Facebook business page. However, make sure to take the time to create an effective social media strategy. Do your research and create valuable content. Remember, at the end of the day it’s not the number of followers on your Facebook page. That is not what determines how much people engage with your page and your business. It’s how you use it strategically and creatively to increase discussion and interaction, and ultimately, community.

Want some help getting your Facebook business page in shape? Get in touch with us!

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The Anatomy of a Blog that Converts

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Writing a great blog is both a science and an art. A science because a good blog that converts should follow a system of best practices to optimize its content effectively. These processes give the piece its best fighting chance of breaking through the overcrowded blog market. As for art, well that comes down to either the team working on it, or you assuming the roles of writer, editor and designer, working in harmony to imagine and create a blog that converts.

Science = Art?

Art and science are both attempts to understand and describe the world around us. Forbes writes, “Science = art. They are the same thing.” A great blog bridges the gap between the two. It’s a systematic creation.

Lance Esplund from the Atlantic further explains, “to understand art, think biology.” Biology is the science dealing with living organisms and art can honestly be classified as that: a living organism. When you break any art down by dissecting its various parts, you discover how its components band together like the anatomy of a body to “contribute to the life of the artwork as a whole”.  Anatomy is the science identifying the structures of living things. So, to ensure we bring to life a blog to be proud of, come with us on this journey to learn the anatomy of a blog that converts.

1. Topic Conception

The first element of a blog is the idea behind it—its topic. To conceive the topic of a piece, one must ponder and ask themselves a few questions: 

  • What will the blog be about? 
  • Where do I begin? 
  • How do I make something unique?
  • How do I even come up with it? 
  • How do I create something great? 

There are many avenues to stroll through but for the sake of clarity, we will only visit a few. If you’re writing a blog for work then there are countless ways to get inspired. 

Read your team’s past blog posts and see if there is anything not written about. Find the gaps of what was done before or maybe a subject covered you can expand on? Ask yourself, what part of your work day can you share that is interesting, aligns with goals and will bring value to the reader? Maybe you simply learned a new skill that is making your life easier so you opt to share those useful tidbits of information with the world. 

Whatever the case might be, the metaphorical well of knowledge is never dry if you remain motivated, find new angles, and uncover gaps you can fill.

2. Topic Research

After unearthing your topic, the next step is to begin researching it. Explore Google trends to find out its related topics and queries, getting a sense of the current state of the subject. You can further use Google to your advantage researching the topic and reading the various content currently ranking on Google’s search results page (SERP). 

Pro tip: Compile a list of industry-related, topic-related, and audience-related keywords to supplement your knowledge and find new research avenues. My favourite free tool is Keyword Tool.

3. Automatic Writing (Info Dump)

With your brain filled with information regarding the topic, you can now put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and begin writing. Write, write, write and then write some more. Just write what comes to mind relating to the topic. Don’t stop for typos, or to fix formatting issues. No idea is dumb, no avenue not visited. Just write away letting the ideas and inspiration flow through like you are merely a vessel dispersing knowledge. Once you feel like your brain is drained and you cannot think of anything else then you can stop.

4. The Structure

By the time you are done writing your fingers should be steaming. The blog is in its purest form. Just raw and unfiltered knowledge and now comes the fun part. Read through the piece and identify sections as well as the purpose of the blog.

Most people nowadays don’t read but scan through content. Composing a blog that is scannable is one of the key elements of a great blog. So draft subheadings that explain the essence of the sections or what their aim is so that “most people” can skim and scan through, stopping at the section that grabs their attention. 

Also, if you haven’t already, you can begin drafting, editing and giving shape to the introduction and conclusion. Just remember to include a hook to draw them further in at the introduction as well as  a call-to-action at the conclusion so that every blog can be used as a marketing tool.

Pro tip: Once you have finished grooming your blog, read it through once more and create a title that incites wonder into those about to read on.

5. Sourcing Images

After you have finished the writing and proofing process, give your blog some colour by including high quality images. Add a banner image that gives a preview of what’s to come while also finding rich media for various sections to draw the reader in. There are many free websites where you can find free high quality stock images, some of my personal favourites are Pexels, Pixabay and Unsplash.

Pro tip: Create a free account on Canva to edit and find even more stock imagery.

P.S: For more resources read our blog, “Where to Find The Best Free Content/Stock Images“.

 

From conception to reality, all these sections make up a small part of the whole blog. They set the foundation for something great but before you can publish it, there is much more to be done, the behind the scenes of it all. The SEO as well as internal and outbound links mapping, then you can also draft a distribution strategy employing social media to greatly expand the reach of the blog created. But those are topics for another time. All these structures coalesce together in synergy to bring to life a truly beautiful piece of art.

Interested in more content marketing tips? Follow us on social media and read our blogs for more insights about the digital marketing world. Click here to schedule a 1:1 chat with us!

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3 MORE tips and tricks to streamline your InDesign process

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We recently shared a few useful tips and tricks to speed up your InDesign process. InDesign is chock full of clever shortcuts, so this is a series that really could go on forever… but we won’t do that. Instead, we will simply present part two: just a few more of our tried and true favourites.

Here at Curve we love working on magazines, programs and brochure design. When working on a multi-page document, we want to make it as easy as possible to ensure consistency across pages, so that we know our creations are clean and organized, and so that we don’t find ourselves—or our clients—looking at uneven margins, conflicting punctuation rules, or shifting headers and footers. Below we’ll share some of the ways we do this.

1. Customize Your Workspace

Once you start to get comfortable in InDesign, you begin to notice some preferences and patterns in terms of which tools you’re always reaching for, so it’s super helpful to have them all ready at your fingertips. Luckily InDesign makes it easy.

For example, when designing a magazine for a client, I know that I always want access to the Pages panel, as well as Layers, Paragraph and Paragraph Styles, Character and Character Styles, Stroke, Effects, Text Wrap, and Swatches.

These are not the default Tools that InDesign provides, so I need to create a custom workspace so that every time I open the program, I can quickly pull them up. Here’s how:

a) First, go to the top of the screen and click on Window. Select each of the tools you want to bring into your custom workspace. It will look pretty messy at first, but don’t worry – you’re about to clean that up.

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b) Now you get to organize them. Simply drag the window panels one at a time to the sidebar on the right of your InDesign screen—all the way to the right until you see a blue vertical line appear, and then release it there. Drag each panel in this way, in the order you want them to appear. You can click on the double arrows at the very top right of this sidebar to switch between a collapsed view and an expanded view of the tool panels.

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c) Note that you can put multiple panels in the same box, as I have done with Paragraph Styles and Character Styles; or Stroke, Text Wrap and Effects, as these are tools I tend to use at the same time, so they might as well be stored in the same place.

d) Once you have your workspace set up how you want it, click on “Essentials” at the top right of your InDesign window. Scroll down to “New Workspace” and name it whatever you like. Next time you open InDesign, you can choose your custom workspace and save yourself time by not having to look for the tools you love to use!

2. Make Use of Master Pages

When you’re working on a multi-page document like a magazine or perhaps an event program, there are certain design elements you will want to consistently apply to each page. Things like page numbers, headers and footers, margins and guides, logos and other graphic elements, text or graphic boxes, and so on. Save yourself time by setting these up in Master Pages, so that they will automatically apply to the individual pages you create—and importantly, they won’t move around! Here’s how to do it:

a) You can easily double click on “Master Page” in the Pages panel to get started. Or, if you’re creating multiple master pages, you can choose “New Master” from within the Pages panel. Choose a name (ie “Section Heading”) and an easily-identifiable prefix (ie “SH”) for the master page.

b) Next, set up the elements you want to appear each time you need to create this type of page. In the example below, I’ve created a master template that includes guidelines, an image box, a text box, a header containing a logo, and a page number that will automatically update for accuracy (more on that in tip #3).

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c) Now anytime you want to apply this master layout to an individual page in your document (for example, to create an actual section header page), you will just drag that master page icon (in this example, the one marked “SH”) over the page you want to apply it to.

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This will put all the text frames, image frames, and guides right onto that page, and you can be confident knowing that the placement will be consistent every time you use this master layout. You can now fill in the individual pages with the relevant content.

Digital Marketing Agency
Digital Marketing Agency

d) Note that if you ever want to remove an entire master page setup from a page, you can simply drag the master icon marked “None” overtop of the individual page and it will override the master previously applied and remove all of the master settings on that page. If you ever need to remove just one element from the master template—for example if you don’t want a page number to appear on a particular page but you do want the rest of the master template to apply—just choose “Shift + Cmd,” click the box with the page number in it, and hit “delete.”

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3. Apply Page Numbers in the Master Page

When designing a multi-page document, sometimes those pages end up moving around after the bulk of the design is done. Not having to think about renumbering the pages is just one of the benefits of using the “Current page number” placeholder feature on your master page(s). Here’s how to insert that placeholder so you don’t even have to think about it again.

a) In your Pages panel, open up the master page and draw a text box where you want the page numbers to appear.

b) With your cursor inside that text box, click on “Type” > “Insert Special Character” > “Markers” > “Current Page Number.”  

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c) You can now format the style of the page number as you would with any other text: change the typeface, size, colour, paragraph alignment, etc to suit the style of the rest of your document, and know that on all pages with this master applied, the page number will populate accurately and with all formatting applied consistently.

InDesign is so good at creating templates and tools for establishing consistency and clean, professional documents. Need a little guidance? Reach out to the team at Curve and let us help you with your design projects!

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To Podcast or Not to Podcast? Top Ways to Get Yourself Heard

by Blog
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We live in a digital era. Therefore, modern-day users expect different types of content to suit the respective needs. Not everyone out there will have ample time to go through a 1000-word long post. While some prefer video content, there is an increasing population who love podcasting. Wish to give your business a boost through content? Let us show how podcasting can help your venture!

Podcasting is serving to be a great way for modern businesses to reach the target audience while the users are in front of their computer or mobile device. The best part? There is no need for you to be an experienced content creator to learn how to podcast for your business.

Podcasting for Your Business

Unlike visual or text-based content, podcasts are great to listen when you are doing something –whether running on the treadmill or commuting to work. Putting on your headphones as you are doing your day-to-day chores is something a listener will always choose.

It has now become seamless to go through podcasts. The revolutionary Bluetooth technology allows people to enjoy them in their vehicles. The Podcast app by Apple comes built-in with every iOS device. You can subscribe to the desired podcast within seconds.

Podcast is high on demand. With the ever-rising concept of on-demand listening, podcasts are gaining huge impetus in the modern business scenario. It is estimated that there are over 800,000 active podcasts along with over 54 million episodes available out there.

As a business owner, you should leverage the immense potential of this next-gen technology catering to the specific needs of your target audience. Whether you are new to creating a podcast or a seasoned player, we will help you know about the best ways to promote your business podcast.

Benefits of Podcasting for Your Business

The podcasting domain has offered a new way to target the right audience for your business. People have become hooked to listening podcasts. This is because it serves to be an easier way to absorb ample information.

Still confused whether or not you should start a podcast for your business? Here are some reasons to make you think in its favour:

Building Personal Connection

It is a different experience to build connections through visuals or a written piece of content. When you are on a podcast, you are able to open up more. The audience gets to hear your voice daily or weekly. You can leverage interesting themes and running jokes for building a notion of trust and personal connection.

Open up to the listeners for building a relationship for the long run. Voice is capable of engaging audiences significantly in comparison to written words. This helps in building trust.

Convenient

With podcasting, you should not be worried about your target audience being busy. The best part about podcast listeners is that they can consider downloading their favourite episodes while listening to the same at a later point of time. Driving, working, jogging, or relaxing –irrespective of the situation, podcast listeners can consume its information without any hassle.

When listeners subscribe to the podcast feed of your business, they can receive downloaded episodes automatically on the respective device upon the release of a new podcast. It is quite fast than typing keywords on the desktop or searching for the desired video.

Easy to Get Started

As your podcast starts becoming successful, you can consider investing more to improve its overall quality. While you might be only starting out in the journey, it is fairly simple to achieve the same. For launching your business podcast, all you need is access to a computer system, a mobile device, an editing software tool, and a reliable Internet connection.

Improved Traffic Generation

Like other types of content, podcasting for businesses can help in reaching out to new target audience for building familiarity. Listeners subscribe to a particular podcast to which they can listen regularly.

When you are consistent in your efforts, the target audience will continue listening to your podcast. Therefore, it helps in increasing your reach while leading to improved traffic and lead generation.

Top Ways to Get Your Podcast Heard

There is a stark difference between launching your podcast and getting the same heard by your target audience. To ensure the same, you need to go through the following tips:

Invest in Proper Equipment

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While it is not expected to put in thousands of dollars into finding the right podcast equipment, you should still have access to the right equipment set to start off with.

One of the most important tools of a successful podcast is a good quality of microphone. Eventually, a good podcast featuring an impressive sound quality is assured to get success. When you have access to a decent headset, a microphone, and some standard editing software tools, you can ensure a major difference in the overall sound quality of your business podcast.

Select the Right Theme

The theme of the podcast determines its success significantly. This does not imply that you should go for choosing a topic you feel will be capable of capturing a larger audience. It implies that you should select a theme that you are capable of committing to in the long run.

When you are truly passionate about what you will be talking about in the podcast, it will resonate with others having the same passion. It is important to be genuinely interested and informed in whatever you aim at talking about. It will help in keeping your audience engaged throughout.

In addition to this, there is a higher possibility that the listeners might consider sharing the podcast with others having similar interests. Stick to something you are aware of and passionate about.

Create Quality Podcasts

There is no denying this fact. However, it is interesting to know how a number of to-be podcasters are focused on the artwork, title, and launch of the podcast. Eventually, they forget about the most important aspect –the podcast itself.

Like everything else, you are expected to practice podcasting effectively to ensure success in it. When you wish to have a successful podcast, you should aim at becoming a good podcaster in the first place. The only way to ensure the same is by being consistent in recording.

Continue learning and honing your podcasting skills. Eventually, you will reach a stage wherein people will start enjoying listening to what you will create.

Find the Perfect Balance

As you start creating and posting your podcast, you will eventually start receiving comments and feedback from the listeners. Some listeners would like you to modify the format, while others will have special requests for some guests.

While it is recommended to listen to your audience as well, it is equally important to ensure that your podcast remains in its truest identity.

It is not always necessary to include your audience in everything related to the podcast sans listening. A podcast that is capable of sparking real conversation will definitely turn out to be more interesting than the one just going with the flow.

As a business owner, you should be decisive. Therefore, take control of the direction of where the podcast is going and where you want the podcast to be in the long run. Have a strong opinion about your podcast marketing skills.

SEO-friendly Podcasts

Most individuals do not realize the fact that Google Podcasts and iTunes are search engines. Therefore, you should consider including some relevant keywords in the descriptions and titles of the podcasts. It will offer a boost in its overall rankings. However, it is equally important to note that you should not go overboard with including the keywords.

When you have relevant keywords in the title, subtitle, and description of the podcast, it will make it easier to search your podcast. It will definitely boost the success of your content.

Draw the Attention of Great Guests

Guests are immensely valuable factors determining the success of your podcast. When you have expert guests for the content, they will have interesting and intelligent things to share on the pod for the listeners. At the same time, they are most likely to bring more followers to your pod.

You might be adept at the given podcast topic. However, it is always valuable to hear some different perspective – both for your business and your target audience. If you have received the opportunity to host guests on your pod, ensure that you are treating them with ample respect.

Conclusion

Podcasting is a powerful marketing tool that is here to stay. Podcasts are easy to listen, accessible, and need minimal effort for the end users.

It serves to be an impressive marketing tool for modern-day businesses. Moreover, it is also a leading branding vehicle. Give your startup or seasoned enterprise a boost by creating meaningful podcasts and sharing the same with the target audience. All the best!

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5 Ways to Pitch Your Business to Media and Get The Best Results

by Blog

Whether you wish to get the word out about a new product or raise the public profile of your business, media coverage serves to be one of the best ways to get your business noticed. However, getting access to lucrative press coverage is not a simple affair. Like all good things in life, successful media coverage for your business also requires careful planning and ample hard work.

Importance of a Strong Media Pitch for Your Business

When you have access to a reliable media pitch for your brand, it helps in setting the stage for your brand to stand out from the competitors. Companies having persuasive media pitches tend to depend on external sources for presenting the respective case. Elements like ample research on the company background and infographics can help in coming up with an interesting story for the media.

Successful media pitching will get customers to talk about your brand while positioning your business as a market leader. Social media influencers, reporters, bloggers, and editors can take your brand communication to the next level.

With inboxes of media reporters filled with multiple media pitches from different brands, how should you get your media pitch noticed? Let us help you unravel some of the essential tips to pitch your business effectively to obtain the best outcomes.

Top Ways to Pitch the Media

In the modern era, PR professionals tend to outnumber journalists significantly. If you wish to stand out in the modern-day information-filled era, you will need a dedicated plan. You should have a plan for allowing you to land ample coverage that you require.

Here are some important steps that you will help you come up with a strategy for pitching the media effectively:

Begin with Your Story

What is the secret to impressive press coverage? You should do something that will draw the attention of the media. Leading companies use the strategy quite often. From startups to celebrities, the idea remains the same –the media wants something out of you to catch the attention of the target audience. When you offer the same, your media coverage will know no bounds.

It is estimated that around 40 percent of journalists tend to receive media pitches 20 times every day. The best way for your business to get to the press is by presenting a compelling brand story. It should be designed to stand out from the crowd easily.

Your brand story serves to be the way to present your business or news in the manner that becomes irresistible for the press. Along your startup story, you should come up with a relevant personal story as well. This will allow you to offer your brand a face while adding ample human interest. Specify the problem you aim at solving, or how your brand is going to change the world.

When you have a strong and interesting story, you will ensure a great start. Your story will help in laying grounds for ample media coverage.

Define Your Goals and the Target Audience

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Your ultimate goal is to obtain media coverage. To achieve the same, you need to be smart before you begin pitching. It is recommended to come up with SMART (Specific, Manageable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-centric) goals. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  •   Focus on improving brand awareness across a particular demographic
  •   Search for new investors
  •   Generate ample leads for your business
  •   Aim for creating a spark in the target market about your product launch

The goals that you design should be linked with a particular audience. You should be aware of the target audience. The goals and the target audience for your business will help in determining the angle you should be pitching.

Be Careful About Sending to Different Groups

As you go through the famous hashtag “#PRFail,” you will come across multiple media partners and publishers complaining about a common thing –generic pitches.

While you might attempt email blasts, still they are considered sloppy in the modern digital era. On the other hand, you can consider targeting a particular writer having the publication that tends to cover the given subject area for matching up with your brand story.

You should avoid sending bulk emails to all the reporters in the given publication. However, you can think about sending the same pitch to some publications simultaneously. Every reporter out there is no going to respond to your sales pitch. Therefore, it is a smart decision to maximize your opportunity for coverage.

You should remember that you should not send pitches to generic email addresses. This is because in most cases, the inboxes tend to be monitored poorly. You should search for professional email addresses of the publishers while contacting them directly.

Establish Rapport with Journalists Before Their Help

When you are pitching to the press, you are essentially asking the journalists a favour towards covering your brand. However, unless you develop proper rapport, you might be asking favours just out of strangers.

Before you commence pitching to the targeted journalists, it is important to connect with them way ahead of time. In an ideal situation, it is recommended to establish a connection before you start pitching.

Effective media outreach is all about establishing meaningful relationships. Some of the ways in which you can connect with the journalist out there are:

  •   Following them on Twitter
  •   Connecting with them on LinkedIn
  •   Connecting locally

Design the Perfect Pitch

All your efforts could be in vain unless you come up with a compelling pitch for your brand. Every journalist you are pitching to should receive a unique piece.

Always begin with the name of the journalist. Journalists are known to receive thousands of emails on a daily basis. Therefore, you are required to be concise. At the same time, it is also important to note that you are providing them with everything they would require for revealing the story.

Some additional tips in the given context are:

  • Journalists are known to commence the workdays quite early. Therefore, you should aim at getting into their inbox before they start working. This will make sure that you are on top as soon as they launch their email.
  • If it is possible for you to include images or videos, try including links for downloading and allowing the journalists know how they can use the same.
  • Try using multiple angles to observe if one strategy will work better than the others. Then, you can focus on the particular strategy to receive the best outcomes.

Structure the Media Pitch Properly

A pitch email should be informal. However, it should still have a dedicated structure to it. In most cases, journalists tend to have daily deadlines. Therefore, when you structure the pitch in the manner that is easy for the journalists to scan, you can increase your chances of earning ample coverage.

Here is an instance of how the pitch for your brand should be structured:

  •   Start writing something personal. You can consider including a story of the journalists that you might have recently read. You should aim at searching for something related to the concept that you will pitch.
  •   It is important to define the aspects including who, what, why, when, and where of the brand story. The structure is known to serve the best results for conventional media outlets. This is because most reporters tend to structure their reports in the given manner.
  •   Deliver news value by detailing why your brand story is exciting to the target audience.
  •   Include a relevant call to action.

Try packaging all this content in around 300 words.

Deliver the Pitch at the Right Time

Journalists tend to be deadline-driven in most scenarios. They feature a particular ‘lead time.’ It is the time taken to write and deliver a piece of content. Once you are in touch with a reporter, know about the respective lead time as soon as you can. This will help you in sending pitches at the right time for ensuring maximum coverage.

Avoid pitching on the day you would need the brand story to get published. In case you are concerned about relevant brand news leaking before the launch, you can consider sending pitches before the product launch day.

Personalize the Pitch

Try making your pitch as personal as possible. This will allow you to make an impact within the first few seconds of encountering the same. Supporting details and documents can also be great. However, they could turn out meaningless unless you have an interested audience.

You can include a bulleted list for outlining the available assets. It helps in delivering quick & effective communication for building reliable relationships.

Conclusion

Every business media pitch serves to be an opportunity for presenting your brand to new audience. Moreover, it also helps in building new relationships with reputed media advocates. In case you do not hear from a pitch, you should follow up. When you still do not receive a response, move ahead to pitch to some other media professional.