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That’s A Wrap: March and April

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Let’s start with the cutest news first shall we? I got a puppy!! Her name is Scrappy and I love her so much! This may seem crazy, but it is my first dog ever. It was very spur of the moment and it has not been the easiest transition trying to train her (I literally just had to go stop her from chewing the couch apart)  but I am so happy we adopted her.

Overall, the past two months have been super exciting, especially on the conference front, we now have a name (Pursuit, The Creative Conference), a date (October 3) and are currently accepting applications for our first round of key volunteers! You can check out all the details at our website!

I’ve been trying to spend as much time outside as possible, as you can see from my Instagrams below, before it gets unbearably hot here in New Orleans. In other news, you may have notices that I’ve been slowly introducing some new contributors around these parts, what do you think?

New Orleans Outdoors on Instagram

 

IN THE STUDIO, SHOP & BLOG

  • Did y’all know that I sell some of my photos on Creative Market as stock photography? AND for the month of May I’ll be donating 50% of my proceeds to support those impacted by the devastating earthquake in Nepal.
  • I’ve been working on a few brand identity projects, which I love and can’t wait to share.
  • I have also been working on some larger campaigns for local agencies which is a nice change every once in a while.
  • We hosted another great Made In Mind event
  • So happy with how the New Orleans Film Society Gala invitation came out
  • My wedding save the dates went in the mail yesterday! One thing at a time.
  • Need a Mother’s Day Card? Why not print your own?

 

ELSEWHERE

P.S. I love to collaborate with brands and other bloggers, find out more here.

On Speaking at Alt Summit

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On Speaking at Alt Summit 3

When I was at Alt last January I remember saying that I would NEVER be able to speak in public, and definitely not at a conference like Alt, with so many other bloggers and creatives that I look up to. I’m much more comfortable talking to people one-on-one and I get incredibly anxious in large groups of people, especially when I’m front and center. I’m an introvert so attending events like Alt are already out of my comfort zone, let alone speaking at one.

On Speaking at Alt Summit 1

When Mariah suggested that we pitch a panel idea together with Melissa, PJ and Tan, for some reason I said yes, secretly hoping we didn’t get picked, but to my surprise, they loved our topic idea and here we are, a year and a half after saying “I would NEVER”, I did it, I spoke on a panel at Alt Summit!

On Speaking at Alt Summit 7

It was the scariest thing I have ever done, but because of that, one of the most rewarding. I believe that if you are not pushing yourself or doing scary things then you are not going to grow as a person or grow professionally. One of my favorite quotes from Alt this year was from Emily McDowell “fear is an asshole and a liar” and I’m so glad I didn’t give in to my fear! I mean, I got to speak at the same conference as Martha Stewart!

On Speaking at Alt Summit 2

Our room was packed and it was awesome to see everyone so engaged and to hear how much people appreciated the content and hard work we put into making our panel special.

On Speaking at Alt Summit 6

On Speaking at Alt Summit 5

On Speaking at Alt Summit 4

On Speaking at Alt Summit 8

On Speaking at Alt Summit 9

I am so thankful for the opportunity. If you missed it, you can see the recap of what I spoke about, Growing Your Blog by Positioning Yourself as an Expert.

Photos by Justin Hackworth or Brooke Dennis for Alt Summit.

Growing Your Blog By Positioning Yourself As An Expert

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Blogging about what you know and love will make a difference! Learn how to increase traffic by positioning yourself as an expert in your field!
Just two weeks ago me and these lovely ladies got up in front of the Alt Summit crowd and chatted about growing a small blog.
Alt SLC Summer Thursday Morning

If you were not there, or need a refresher, here is an overview on what I spoke about, growing a small blog by positioning yourself as an expert! You can download the worksheet we handed out, and then work while you read this post.

Growing A Small Blog

I’m sure y’all have all heard the advice to blog about what you know and love – it’s usually the first piece of advice you’ll get for blogging and I don’t think anyone will deny that as a great starting point. But I want to take it a little further by talking about positioning yourself as an expert. One of the main ways I’ve grown my blog is by sharing tips from my experiences in graphic design, social media and running my own small business.

I use the term “expert” loosely, because obviously I don’t know everything about these topics, but I am passionate about them and I do have a degree in graphic design and have been working in the industry for eight years. So I probably know more than the person opening Photoshop for the first time or who just signed up for Twitter last week.

So basically, you don’t have to wait for somebody to call you an expert in order to give expert advice.

Give Expert Advice

I’m always getting questions through email, on social media, and even from friends and family, whenever there is something design related they know they can come to me. And I’m sure the same happens to y’all from time to time. Maybe people are always asking you about how you put your outfit together or asking for your recipe when you cook for them. That’s people showing that they value what you know and trust your opinions.

So if you find that people are consistently asking you a about the same topics, it’s likely they would become a reader of your blog if that’s what you focused on. As your name starts to get associated with a specific field, then your network will start to grow.

Ok, let’s move onto a strategy for coming up with content:
First you have to figure out the types of problems that your readers are having in your field. So, using the worksheet in the download, jot down a few things that you enjoy doing and that people always ask you about. What do you know that can benefit other people?

What Do You Know That Can Benefit Others

So for example, I’d be writing down that people ask me about the fonts I use and other design related questions and how I made the switch from working at an agency to full-time freelance. Remember – no problem is too big or small to write down.

Then, once you know the challenges your readers are having, you can come up with a plan to turn those problems around into solutions.

Growing Your Blog Content Strategy

Here is an example of how I determined my readers problems and then solved them by writing an additional post that I didn’t originally intend to:

When the Facebook layout was updated two years ago to the timeline it was a pretty major change. It was much more design oriented with the large cover photo and app tabs. If you remember, they even allowed users to preview their changes before they had to commit for good so that everyone could ease into the new design. I decided to jump right and update the few different pages that I manage. As I was designing the cover images and doing the updates, I anticipated that my readers may want to hear some ideas on how to keep their pages consistent with their blog or business branding, so I wrote a blog post Design Tips for your Facebook page.

I ended up getting tons of questions beyond the design aspect of people wanting to know how to actually install the apps I was using. So every time I got a question, I was stopping in my tracks and individually responding to them all with detailed instructions in an email.

As much as I’d love to be able to answer every question one-on-one like this I realized it just wasn’t realistic or a productive way to work. So I decided to write another post with step-by-step instructions for installing the apps which has ended up being one of my most popular posts. Turning reader questions into blog posts is now one of the ways I build my editorial calendar.

If you find people still have questions after you write about it, you can take it further and create a blog post series or even teach a course or write an e-book focused on digging deeper into certain topics. That’s actually something I recently did, I wrote a guide on planning a local event series because I needed to go more in-depth than a blog post would allow. And this helps even more to position yourself in your field.

Now I know some people are new to their field, so if you are just getting started, you can write about things that you are interested in learning more about, classes you are taking or things you are teaching yourself along the way. You can have this learning experience with your readers.

Have A Learning Experience With Your Readers

But you never want to risk losing credibility. So if you’re not quite certain of something, just let it be know that you are experimenting and figuring it out as you go, because you don’t ever want to put incorrect information out there – you don’t ever want to lose your readers trust.

Do Not Lose Your Readers Trust

Now I’m going to give you guys a few formats and examples that I find work well for showcasing your expertise:

– how-to posts or videos
• Merricks Art
• Pugly Pixel

– provide valuable resources
• I’ve shared resources like My Favorite WordPress Plugins
• I love to share my favorite fonts

– curated posts
• theme thursday from Oh, What Love
• round ups like products used to create on-the-go on The Fresh Exchange

– featuring others
this is a great way to show support and recognize others doing a good job in your field

– lists
these are really easy for your readers to share, especially on Twitter
• ByRegina
• Elembee

When you’re able to solve a problem for someone, they feel like you’ve given them insider tips & tricks and in turn form a stronger bond which makes them more likely to come back for more because people appreciate free advice.

People Appreciate Free Advice

But don’t feel the need to do it all or try to imitate somebody else. Don’t post what you think people want to hear if it’s not something you truly enjoy writing about.

I don’t really know anything about fashion but do share style posts from time-to-time, because it’s fun for me, but that is not how I have grown trust from readers and my readership over the past four years. It’s been by positioning myself as an expert. It’s not easy and it won’t be an overnight success but as Stan Smith Says, people need experts.

People need experts. They have value because they have done the research, legwork, and training that we can’t do on our own.  Not only that, we rely on experts to see further down the road than we can.  We cherish their insight and lean on their wisdom.  Having an expert means that you can shortcut the process and achieve your goals quicker.” – Stan Smith

So now, looking back at what you wrote earlier, write down a few topics that you could write about that will help to position yourself as an expert.

Because before you look to other blogs for things like guest posts, advertising or giveaways you need to get your own blog in a good place. Consider what you do really well and what you love and start sharing that compelling, informative and unique content.

Share Unique Content

PJ Feinstein – Growing a small Blog through Self Promotion and Networking

Mariah Danielsen – Growing a small Blog through Guest Posting on Other Blogs

Melissa Bahen – Growing a Small Blog through Collaboration

Tan Rutley – Growing a Small Blog through Social Media Collaborations and Giveaways

Do you have questions or tips of your own? I’ll answer them in the comments!

first photo was taken by Justin Hackworth for Alt Summit • slides by me

I’m Speaking at Alt Summit!

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Last month I mentioned quickly that I was going to be speaking at Alt Summit but now that they have released the schedule, I’m back to share the details!

Growing A Small Blog Panel

In two weeks from today, Alt Summit will be kicking off its first summer event in Salt Lake City. And in two weeks from tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on a panel about Growing a Small Blog. I am equally excited as terrified! But I’m so happy that I’ll be up there with friends: Mariah of Oh What Love, Melissa of Lulu the Baker, and PJ of Bunny and Dolly and Tan of Squirrelly Minds.

We’ll be discussing all the ways that new bloggers can grow their readership, including tips and tricks we’ve learned from our personal experiences. Since none of us are big-name bloggers (yet!), we hope that our success stories inspire others just starting out. As we put the finishing touches on our presentation, we’d love to know what specific questions you have about growing a small blog.

So find us on twitter, include the hashtag #growingasmallblog in your question and ask away! Can’t wait to hear from y’all!

Mariah – blog / twitter
Melissa – blog / twitter
PJ – blog / twitter
Tan – blog / twitter
Me – twitter

And if you’ll be attending Alt SLC in two weeks, leave a comment below — I’d love to meet you!

That’s A Wrap: May

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So let’s start with some huge news shall we… I’m speaking at Alt Summit in 2 weeks y’all! I’m on the same speaker roster as Martha Stewart and Joy Cho, whoa. Even though I’m on page two. I’ll let y’all know what my panel is all about very soon and I’ll also be featuring my lovely panel mates (is that a thing) on Instagram leading up to Alt!

Etsy Craft Party Supplies - Ciera Design

Besides being crazy excited/stressed about Alt this month, my best friend had her first baby, an adorable little girl who I just went to visit in Baton Rouge and another friend got married. We went to Biloxi for her bachelorette party and then the week after partied for 4 days straight for the actual wedding, not even exaggerating, it was exhausting/SO much fun! AND lot’s of great stuff happened in the studio, on the blog and around the web:

 

In The Studio

– New work for Simplified Bee
– Launched my first Darby Smart DIY kit, a Studded Baggu Tote
– Added some new stock photos to my Creative Market shop
– Busy prepping for the June 6 Etsy Craft Party in New Orleans (image above via my Instagram)
– Launched the Made In Mind New Orleans Chapter site. Get details on starting your own chapter here.

 

Elsewhere

– The lovely Ilana of Sugar and Type featured me for her Creative Crush series
– studio-404 shared my Twitter Tips
– Coastermatic featured my photos of their product on their blog
– New post up on Creative Market, my Favorite Calligraphers To Follow On Instagram
– Designed a desktop freebie for Whimsey Box
– Want to read all about my journey as a designer? My profile is now live on the Women in Business site!

 

On the blog

– Shared my May favorites from Golden Tote. P.S. The June tote launches Monday!
– How to Set Up a Mimosa Bar
– Make It Count – Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper Freebies
– Shared the details from the Gold Safari Animal Baby Shower
– Chocolate Almond Strawberry Smoothie Recipe
– Mariah shared Tips & Tricks for Your Email Newsletter
– What’s In My Bag

 

Favorite Fonts

– York Handwriting (30% off, ends today at 11 PM)
– Geli (50% off, ends tomorrow at 11 PM)
– Consuelo (50% off, ends June 1 at 11 PM)
– Coming Home (30% off,  ends June 2 at 11 PM)
– Archivio Family (60% off, ends June 3 at 11 PM)

 

Sponsor Love

I’d love to introduce y’all to Lori Greco of Greco Design Company, fellow graphic designer and blogger who loves painting, diy projects, typography, living in New England, hosting parties and running.

As a freelance graphic designer, I’m always teaching myself new things to stay current. Greco Design Company is a blog I started in 2013 that covers all aspects of design including print, home, fashion and lifestyle. I figure what we create around us is what designs and defines our entire lives. I hope to share my creations and things that inspire me and I hope to inspire you too.

Lori has an awesome blog at and Etsy shop that y’all should totally check out! Especially loving her DIY light switch covers!

Tips for Your Email Newsletter

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An email newsletter is a tricky thing when you own a small business. While having an email list and sending out emails on a regular basis keeps you top of mind to your subscribers, knowing what you should send out and how frequently is a question that many small business owners struggle with. In a previous post we discussed why the email list is so important and a few different ways you can get emails from your customers and readers. Today we’re going to discuss some email newsletter tips and guidelines for sending emails out to the list you’ve gathered.

An email newsletter is a tricky thing when you own a small business. While having an email list and sending out emails on a regular basis keeps you top of mind to your subscribers, knowing what you should send out and how frequently is a question that many small business owners struggle with. Click through to get some tips and content ideas!

Email Newsletter Tips for Success:

Getting Started and Setting Up

There are lots of great email newsletter platforms out there – some you can pay for and some are free. While you use a free service like MailChimp, I’m particularly fond of ConvertKit for all of their features.

Once you sign up for a free account, you’ll need to import your email addresses or type them into your account. When you have them set up in a list, you’ll want to choose a template or design your own within the site. To make your newsletter cohesive and consistent, try to use the same template for each email and have it match your current website and branding design. Now that you’ve got your emails imported and your template designed, you just need to add in some content!

Deciding What Content to Email to Subscribers

No matter what line of business you’re in, you’ll want to send out content you think is most important or helpful to your list. If you have got a giveaway coming up or have a post that’s getting lots of comments, these would be wonderful things to include in your email newsletter to get more entries or visits to your website.

If you sell products, you could share some best sellers or featured items in your email, or if you’re a web designer think about sharing some of your recent work or progress on a current job. Updates give your readers a chance to see what you’ve been up to if they haven’t visited your blog or website in a while.

Some other things to include are:

  • Recent guest posts on other blogs
  • Links to a few of your favorite new posts on your blog
  • Your social media links
  • A question for your subscribers to answer or an invitation for them to comment on a Facebook or blog post.

Whatever content you choose to send out, use your own unique voice, and write it like you’re emailing an old friend. Your subscribers will feel like you’re emailing a little note written just for them!

The Dreaded Question: How Often Do I Email Out My Newsletter?

Frequency of emails can be tricky because you don’t want to send out so often that you’re getting a bunch of unsubscribes, but you want to email out enough to stay top of mind and in their inbox.

Personally, I cringe when my phone or inbox alerts me when I have an email waiting for me. Because of this, I try to send out newsletters sparingly – once every few weeks or once a month.  But frequency will depend on the type of business you’re in as well. If you’re a social media marketer, it might be a nice service to your subscribers to send them a short, actionable social media tip each week. Or if you own a retail store you could blast out your weekly sales or a product of the week.

Send your newsletter out as often as you feel comfortable. Try out different schedules and then choose one you feel that isn’t too intrusive to your subscriber’s inbox but still keeps you in their mind. Go with what feels right to you!

Email newsletters are a wonderful way to get your work in front of potential customers. Consistency and respect for their inbox is key, but once you get a schedule figured out, they’ll be excited to see your email in their inbox.

Feeling lost on how to get people to sign up for your list? One of the best ways is to offer an incentive (also known as an opt-in, content upgrade or lead magnet) to readers for sharing their email.

Related: How To Dramatically Increase Email Subscribers by Using Content Upgrades

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

Quality Over Quantity: Writing Intentional Blog Posts

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It's quality over quantity! How to write intentional blog posts. Click through for a free worksheet!

With the new year comes a new set of goals you promise yourself you’re going to reach this year – you’re going to simplify, organize your life, grow your business and make time for what matters most.

But when you’re trying to expand your small business, you can get stuck in the everyday muck of catching up on emails, putting together proposals, planning your blogging calendar and putting the finishing touches on that blog post you wanted to have up yesterday. It’s hard to keep up with the everyday stuff and make time for the big things you want to accomplish too.

While blogging is an important aspect of growing your small business, blogging without passion just to have a post up on your site is the wrong way to go about growing. Lucky for us, there’s a trending idea in the blogging world: blogging with intention.

It’s writing posts that contain all original content, it’s researching the topic and coming to your own conclusion and it’s blogging only when you devote the time and passion it takes to write a great post, even if it’s only once a week or once a month.

Here are some ways to craft a quality, well thought out, intentional blog post: 

1. Do Your Research

When planning out your posts, draw up an outline and schedule in time to do some research behind the topic you’re writing about. The more you can share with your readers, the more they’ll feel like they got something out of your post.

For example, if you’re featuring a certain artist on your blog, do some research on their story – share how they got started, the idea behind their brand and what their design process is. If they use a particular technique with their work, research the technique and share that with your readers as well. Reach out to them to get the answers to those questions, or do your own research to find those answers.

Anyone can share an image of the artist’s work, but if you can get the story behind that particular piece, you’ll add more value to your post. Make sure you cite where you found your information and give credit wherever you can.

When you add research to your process, the quality of your posts will increase and you’ll be providing your readers with real information they’ll want to bookmark and share.

2. Only Write About Topics That Inspire You

If you’re not inspired by the posts you’re writing, it’s time to take a look at the type of content you’re blogging about. One way to fix this is to go back to the beginning of your business and ask yourself some questions. Why did you want to get started? What inspired you back then? Has that inspiration grown or changed at all?

If you go back to the root of why you started and what inspired you most back then, you might be able to come up with some great blog post ideas that won’t leave you procrastinating to get the post written. Focus on just writing about topics you like to talk about or are interested in exploring more, and go from there.

3. Use Your Own Photos

One way to really slow down and take your time with blogging is to create an entirely original post – sharing both your own ideas and your own photographs. While throwing together recap posts or inspiration boards with other people’s images or post content (while properly crediting them, of course) is still very popular, when you create an original post you’re putting something out on the web that hasn’t been seen before.

I’ve noticed that the posts I’ve provided original content for have been pinned and re-pinned more times than any of my themed inspiration boards or style posts – pinned DIY projects and design projects I’m working on bring more people to my website than just about any other source.

Coming up with all original content for your posts definitely takes more time, but your readers will be able to tell that you spent more time on the post and it will hopefully bring some additional traffic back to your website after it gets shared around the web.

When you’re blogging with purpose about topics you really want to talk about, you’ll add value to your brand, contribute some amazing new things to the internet and save yourself the stress from trying to throw together 5 posts a week.

The first few months of the new year are a great time for starting new habits, slowing down and focusing on what you really want to accomplish this year. If you’re blogging with intention you’ll have better chance of accomplishing your goals, and you’ll enjoy blogging even more.

What are your blogging goals for this year? How will you slow down and blog with more passion and intention? Share your ideas in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

Happy Birthday To Me & Year In Review

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Today is my birthday y’all! I’m still on a blog break but just wanted to stop in for my normal end of the month recap.

Ciera Sitting On Oak Tree With Balloons

I decided that I should recap the whole year instead of just December, so without further ado here are some of the most popular posts from the year! It was really fun to look back at all of these posts!

Ciera-Design-Year-In-Review

Popular Posts in 2013:

– Do It Yourself Macrame Friendship Bracelets
– How To Stay Productive
– The Business Cards of Alt Summit
– Roam If You Want To Freebies
– Naive Font Favorite
– How To Make Geometric Felt Coasters
– Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Growing Your Blog Through Social Media
– Ombre Cluster Necklace DIY

Ciera Design Elsewhere in December:

– Merry and Bright Freebie featured on Glitter and Bow
– Sprucing Up Your Branding featured on 8 posts for smart-working, creative-types
– Geometric Felt Coasters on Brit + Co 
– The Best Memories Are Handmade freebie on Whimseybox 

Thank you so much to everyone who has shared my content this year! I also want to give a special thank you to Mariah and Melissa for being amazing contributors this year!

If you haven’t yet, please fill out my 2013 reader survey! 

One more note, I have simplified my sidebar ad options for 2014! One size at one very affordable price!

Sprucing Up Your Branding

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With the year coming to a close, you may want a fresh start for the new year, one with new ideas, new goals and new looks – including a spruced up look for your brand. An updated look for your business can give you the new beginning you are looking for, but rebranding (even when you don’t have a huge following) can be a lot of work.

Click through for a free worksheet to see if it's time for you to rebrand!

Before you invest on a new logo, website, web copy, professional photos and business cards and set up meetings with designers and copywriters and photographers, take a moment to ask yourself these few questions and write your answers on this worksheet I created for you.

1. Why do I want to rebrand?

A fun new logo is always exciting, but ask yourself why you want to rebrand. Are you adding new offerings? Are you trying to reach a different target market that your brand doesn’t appeal to right now? Or do you just need a freshened up look?

Knowing why you want to rebrand is one of the most important things about the rebranding process. Knowing the goals you have set up for your new look will help your designers and developers with their job, and you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for in your redesign.

2. Is my customer changing?

If you’re doing a rebrand because your customer is changing, you’ll want to do a profile on who your new customer is going to be. Get to know everything you can about your new customer so you can direct your rebranding efforts specifically to them.

For example, if you’re a photographer who has mainly worked with babies and seniors in the past and you want to rebrand to target brides specifically, you’ll want to find out everything you can about your new ideal customer – what types of photos she likes best, what blogs she reads, where she finds most of her wedding inspiration. When you know all of the specific details about your ideal customer, you’ll know exactly how to talk to her, how to form packages around her wants and where to market your rebranded business.

3. What do I want my new look to say about my brand?

Having a clear idea of what you want your look to say about your brand will always help your designer when you’re getting the branding process started. Having a few examples of brands you admire can help your designer and developers envision the direction you want your look to go.

One way to paint a clearer image of what you want your brand to portray is to start a Pinterest board full of brand inspiration. Include pins of colors, patterns and styles that inspire you in your brand, along with images of your ideal customer. This will give you a reference point for all of the design and branding decisions you make in the rebrand process and also comes in handy when making branding decisions down the road.

Asking these questions about your new brand image are important in creating a brand that lasts – the more you know about where you want to go in the future will help you with your rebrand right now.  And if you’re all ready to start the rebranding process, make sure you check out Ciera’s design and marketing packages.

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

Four Ways to Spark Your Creativity

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Let’s face it – as people with creative businesses, there are times when we feel a lack of vision and innovation. Whether it’s because we’re working on projects that leave us uninspired or we just simply can’t get our creative juices flowing, it’s a slump we don’t want to be stuck in for long.

Four Ways to Spark Your Creativity and Get Re-inspired

It’s something I’ve been struggling with lately, so I’ve come up with four ways to get re-inspired:

1. Try to remember the time when you were feeling the most creative or inspired.

There are moments in our lives when we feel like nothing can stop us and we can’t stop coming up with great ideas. The key to reliving those moments is to figure out what made those moments so special. Where were you at? What were you doing? Who were you with? What were you feeling? Try to recreate that moment as best as you can and you’ll be on the right track to getting your creativity back.

2. Take a class

We’re often inspired by new adventures and meeting new people, so taking a class or doing a workshop will help kick your creativity back in gear. Make something by hand, learn something new and connect with other creative people and you’re sure to get inspired. Some online courses to check out are CreativeLive (watch free courses) or Skillshare.

3. Visit Your Favorite Places

Our surroundings are one of the things that inspire us the most, and we all have places where we feel most inspired. When you’re feeling less creative than normal, it’s a no brainer to visit your favorite places to get yourself going again. Whether you’re influenced by the displays at your favorite store or by a landscape or park you love the most, take time to visit those places, enjoy them and let them motivate you.

4. Spruce Up Your Resources

Just like buying new workout clothes might help you to get back to the gym, new creative resources can help amp up your inspiration. Download some new fonts, explore new color schemes, try out a new program or let a new design book help you dream up new ideas. Something as simple as a new font to play with can totally transform your mood and your work.

What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired? Share your tips in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

Four Years of Blogging!

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When I started my blog, I could have never imagined where it would be today! Since I’m celebrating four years of blogging this month, I thought I’d give y’all a little history of how it all got started. Then for the rest of the month I will have some other special posts and surprises for y’all!

Ciera Design Four Year Blogiversary

In 2009, I had been at my agency job for a few years and I wasn’t really feeling satisfied by the design work I was doing anymore. I decided to start a blog to get some of my ideas out. It started as a photo dump. I would post my random iPhone pictures with a little caption and might expand a little here and there. I had no plan and no organization. Soon after, I left my job to start my own business and I knew that I needed to create a portfolio site that potential clients could check out. So in 2010 I decided to take my site and blog to the next level. I started posting on a regular basis with relevant and consistent content. It has been growing ever since into what you see today!

I love networking and meeting new people who I probably would have never had contact with if not for blogging. In January, blog friend and contributor, Mariah and I roomed together at Alt Summit and at Circles Conference last month I got to be roomies and hang out with another blog buddy, Patti! I love hearing about adventures of other bloggers who work for themselves and love following along with other creatives!

One of my favorite opportunities that has come from starting this blog was being able to attend Alt Summit this year! It was SO inspiring! When I walked into the Bing It To Life Lounge at Alt Summit the LAST thing I expected to see was my travel map pin board, but there it was, and it was huge! Bing took submissions of ideas to showcase and my DIY creation was chosen to come to life! It was really special to see bloggers from all over interacting with my idea and pinning their business cards to the map! It was so surreal to see it all over Instagram and it was such a cool way to see where everyone was from.

I’m always trying to take this blog to the next level and I can’t wait to see where it takes me in the next four years! Thank you so much to all of my readers for encouraging me, challenging me to keep creating unique content and for all of your comments over the years, it really means the world to me!

Jasmine took these photos for me.

How to Get Great Testimonials

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How To Get Great Testimonials. Plus, click through for a free worksheet!

You know how when you’re on someone’s website trying to decide if you want to work with them or buy from them and you see a group of really great testimonials that convince you that you must have their product? You can have that too. By the end of this post, you will know exactly how to get great testimonials.

Testimonials from clients are important for your website because without them, potential clients don’t always know your credibility or what you’re like to work with. It’s someone’s outside perspective that gives them the confidence to buy from you instead of moving on to the next website.

Here are a few ways to get great testimonials:

Reach out to past partners, customers and coworkers

While it’s not always easy to reach out and ask for testimonials, it’s the first step in getting great feedback, especially from clients and coworkers who love you and your work.

To do this, write them a short note on why you’re reaching out to them and what you’re hoping to accomplish from getting this testimonial. Tell them how much you’ve enjoyed working with them and would love to share your experience with future customers.

Then, provide a list of questions for them to answer – questions that will bring out the types of phrases you’d love to include on your site about how the two of you worked together and what was accomplished.

It’s best to reach out to clients while your work is still fresh in their mind, so as soon as you’ve wrapped up your work with them, send them a testimonial request – if they’re happy with your work they’ll most likely fill it out right away!

Pull from Social Media

Another really great way to get testimonials for your website is to pull quotes about your work off of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Lots of times when someone is excited about a new product or service they’ve purchased, they splash it all over the web. If one of your past customers has done this about your offering, ask them if you can use their quote for your site. Since they shared it with everyone they know, there’s a good chance they’ll let you post it on your site too.

Once you Get the Testimonial

When you get your testimonials, there are a few effective ways to display them on your website.

First of all, make sure they fit with the product you are selling or are general enough to be displayed on your site. I work with lots of different types of clients – from brides to small businesses to antique dealers, so not all testimonials from everyone will work on my wedding site. Choose the ones that you think will be most beneficial to future clients.

Then, decide where you want to place your testimonials. Good practice is to have a page devoted to praise, display them on your sales page or have them scrolling in the footer or sidebar.

Also, consider including a picture and a location of the person you received the testimonial from. People make connections with images and locations, so the testimonial will be more credible and believable if there is a face and location to associate with it.

And that’s it! Follow these steps and be on your way to get great testimonials from past customers that grab the attention of new customers!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

How to Give Your Blog Readers Exactly What They Need

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We’re all looking for better ways to connect with our readers in hopes that they come back and read your blog on a regular basis or buy something from you at some point, right? Lucky for us, there’s a trick to giving them exactly what they’re looking for. Click through for the two-step process and a free worksheet!

We’re all looking for better ways to connect with our readers in hopes that they come back and read your blog on a regular basis or buy something from you at some point, right? Lucky for us, there’s a trick to giving them exactly what they’re looking for. Here’s the two-step process:

1. What Problems Do Your Readers Have?

Knowing what your readers are struggling with is the key in figuring out exactly what they want. You have to figure out the types of problems they are having in your field of expertise so you can help solve those problems.

If you’re a web designer and blog about your work and inspiration, it’s possible that your readers are other designers or business owners who are starting their own website or are inspired by your work. They may be dealing with a variety of problems – from where their email sign-up forms should be on their website to what fonts are easiest to read on the web. Some may not know the questions to ask web designers when they start working with one, and others may not know all of the important information they’ll need to give their designer to get started. These are all things you can help them with (and problems you can solve) on your blog.

On the worksheet provided, make a list of all the different problems your readers might have that you could solve with your knowledge in your field. Think back to the basics – maybe some of the topics in classes you learned back in school or some lessons you’ve learned in the past. Remember – no problem is too big or small to write down.

2. How Can You Solve Their Problems?

Now comes the getting more followers/better customers part! Once you know the problems your readers have, you can instantly turn those problems around into solutions.

Starting on page 2 of the worksheet, write down each problem, and underneath it list out all the different ways you could solve this problem for your reader. You may be able to think of multiple ways to fix each problem – write every idea you have down.

Some of the problems you’ve written down may be perfect for new blog posts or series, and some of them would be great new offerings you can add to your list of services. Next to each solution, check mark which you think it’d be better for and start brainstorming ways to put each into action!

When you’re able to solve a problem for someone, they feel like you’ve given them insider tips & tricks and in turn form a stronger bond with you and your brand which makes them more likely to come back for more and buy from you. What are some ways you solve problems for your readers? Share in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

How to Work from Home & Keep Your Sanity

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Tricks to keep on track while being your own boss and working from home.
Last July I quit my full-time corporate designer job to venture out on my own, and I had so many ideas about how wonderful working from home was going to be. I learned very quickly that working for yourself can be a difficult job – you must have a lot of self-control and focus. Here are some tricks I’ve used to keep myself on track while being my own boss.

1. Set Work Hours

One of the reasons I quit my full-time job was that my husband was tired of me coming home after an 8 hour day and spending 4 more hours working on side projects. And to be honest, I was tired of it too. So when I started working from home, I set a rule that I wouldn’t work nights or weekends anymore.

For the first few months, this was really hard to control. I was enjoying my freedom during the day by going on walks and getting housework done, but I was putting off design work for the evening – which made me quitting my job pointless.

When you work from home, you need to find a happy medium – one of the best things about working for yourself is the freedom you have to come and go as you please, but you need to have the self-control to get your work done during the day.

That’s why setting work hours is a good practice. If you feel more motivated and can concentrate better in the morning, then set you work hours from 9 to 1 and run your errands in the afternoon. Or maybe work a normal 8 hour work day and allow yourself an hour lunch break like a normal job would.

Of course, you’ll have to adjust these hours depending on your workload or when your clients can meet with you, but whatever hours you choose make sure you stick to them so you’re not working when you don’t want to be.

2. Create an Inspiring Workspace

Having a creative space set aside for you to work is another important aspect of working from home. Being able to go to your ‘office’ each morning and being inspired by your surroundings will help keep you focused on your work and away from distractions. Having your own workspace helps keep your work organized, and it will make it easier for you to distinguish work life from home life.

Even if you spend part of your day working from other areas of your house (like your bed!), it’s nice to have a space dedicated just to work. Plus, it’s fun to have a place just for you to keep your pretty design & craft supplies, right?

3. Get Motivated

When you work from home, there are going to be days you don’t feel like getting out of bed. Taking the day off one or two days a month isn’t the end of the world, but taking 3 days off in a row when you have projects due isn’t going to make you a successful entrepreneur.

For those days you just can’t seem to find any motivation, create a playlist of all the songs that pump you up or inspire you. I have a Spotify playlist called Biz Inspiration and anytime I need a pick me up, I listen to those songs and am instantly inspired to get stuff done.

Another way to beat being unmotivated is to get out of the house. I’ve found that if I go to my favorite coffee shop, grab a coffee and put my headphones in, I can get so much done in an afternoon. Being away from the distractions of home helps me focus on my client’s needs instead of my own, and gets me motivated to get more work done.

As hard as it can be at times, owning your own business is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life, and all the struggle is worth it in the end! What tips do you have for working at home? Share them in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

4 Ways to Stand Out from the Rest

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Click through to learn how to set your business apart from the crowd!

These days, it seems like everyone is starting their own business or blog, which crowds the market and makes it hard for anyone at all to stand out – unless you make yourself different, memorable and remarkable.

Today I’m sharing a few ways to make your business stand out from the rest.

1. Take the rules and throw them out the window

There are just some things that certain niches don’t do, simply because no one has done it before. One way to become memorable is to push the envelope and think outside the normal box that everyone else in your industry lives in. It can take lots of brainstorming and work, but creating a service or a product that is different from everyone else’s will pay off. Think of Virgin America Airlines – what other airline has mood lighting and screens in every headrest that allow you to watch tv and surf the internet without a laptop? They thought outside of what other airlines were doing and are hugely successful because of it.

2. Use practices of your favorite brands and infuse them into your own

You love your favorite brands for a reason – maybe they offer little extras with each purchase or they have the best customer service on the planet. Write down all of the reasons you love your favorite brands, and try to figure out ways to infuse some of those things into your own brand. This will help you build a brand you love while standing out because you’re a little bit different from the rest of them.

3. Offer something unique

Just because other designers offer branding, web and illustrating services doesn’t mean you have to too. Know what you’re good at and stick with that. If you have restaurant experience and love the fast paced world of hospitality, think about focusing your design services just toward hospitality companies. That way you’re working only with clients who are in an area of work you’re an expert in, and you’ll become known for just working with those certain types of clients. This helps you create a unique brand among others who are offering all sorts of services to all sorts of people.

4. Don’t wait for permission

If you want something – go for it! Don’t wait for people to reach out to you, if there’s a project you’re dying to work on or a collaboration you want to do, be the person that reaches out. You don’t have to wait around for someone to give you permission to make your dreams happen. Be the connector and people will see you as a person who knows what they want and knows what types of projects they want to work on. You’ll set yourself apart from those waiting around for success to fall into their lap.

What ways have you tried to set yourself apart from the crowd? Share them in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

Jazz Festin’

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I’ll be out at Jazz Fest today, tomorrow and Sunday. It’s going to be a wet and muddy one today, and strangely cool for this time of year. Hoping that tomorrow looks more like these photos that Zander took last year. Have a great weekend and see ya back here Tuesday with a new business advice post from Mariah!

jazzfest

snoballs

chair fortress

lucky shot

roman candy

karate

backlit

soul food

tom petty paint

chillin

How to Stay Productive

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This time of year it can be hard to stay focused on what you need to accomplish, especially if you work from home. Now that spring is here, staying productive gets hard when the sun is shining and the warmer weather is calling your name.

Tips on how to stay productive and get shit done! Click through to download a helpful worksheet!

Today I’m going to share tips on how to stay productive and get your tasks done. Then use the productivity worksheet to help you organize your lists and goals.

Focus on Five

Making a list of everything you need to accomplish can get pretty overwhelming. Instead of focusing on the entire list, pick just 3 to 5 tasks that you must accomplish today. Then focus on completing just those things. If you’ve got time or are feeling ambitious to get more done, then work on more tasks but make sure you have your ‘must accomplish’ things done first.

Break Down Bigger Projects

Have a big project that you keep avoiding? Break it down into smaller, more doable pieces. Once you have it broken down, schedule the smaller pieces on your calendar and little by little, you’ll get the project done.

Find Your Ideal Work Time

Figure out what time of the day or week you are most productive and reserve those hours to get your work done. Maybe you’re trying to work around your kids’ schedules or you might like to take afternoons off. Decide what time you do your best thinking and best work and work during those hours.

List What You’ve Accomplished

Lots of times we focus on what we have to do and not what we’ve already done. Each week, make a list of all of the things you’ve accomplished and you’ll (hopefully!) realize that you’ve done more than you thought. It will make your to-do list seem a little more accomplishable.

De-Clutter Your Mind

Ever stay up at night thinking about all of the things you need to accomplish in life? It happens to the best of us. One way to de-clutter your mind is to make a list of everything you need to do – from picking up groceries to writing that book you’ve been dreaming about. Take some time to clear out everything you’ve been thinking you need to do then categorize it into 5 different sections – 1) to get done this week, 2) to get done this month, 3) to get done in the next 6 months, 4) to get done in the next year and 5) to get done in the next 5 years. When you know what’s priority, you’ll get a better idea of what you need to get accomplished right away and what you have some time to work on.

Do What You Love

Most of all, doing work that makes you happy helps you stay productive because it doesn’t feel like work. Try to incorporate your hobbies into your work and it’ll be much more fun. For example, if you hate doing the bookkeeping for your business but you love blasting your music throughout the house, only allow yourself to do that while you’re working on your bookkeeping. This will make the task more fun, and you’ll look forward to that time instead of dreading it. What are your tips for staying productive? Share in the comments!

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

Collecting Readers’ Email Addresses + Three Ideas for Opt In Offers

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How to curate a list of people who actually want to hear from you!

What could be better than having a list of email addresses for people who love your blog or readers that could be potential customers – a list of people who actually want to hear from you? Not much, right?

That’s why you should be gathering emails from people who visit your website.

Why It Works

Building your email list is important for your business because the more people who are truly interested in your services that you can reach with just one email, the more site visits, downloads and money you can potentially make.

Collecting email addresses and sending out an email newsletter has some wonderful benefits. For instance, each time you send an email to your list that contains links to your website, you’re boosting the potential for more site visits. If something in your newsletter looks interesting to the reader, they’ll click over to your site and there’s a good chance they’ll click through to other posts or pages, which boosts the chances that they’ll buy from you.

Email lists and newsletters also help your business because if you’re consistently showing up in someone’s inbox (in a good way, not a spammy way), you’ll stay top of mind to them. Then when they need a service or product you provide, they’ll instantly remember your helpful or fun emails.

How to Do It

Growing your list organically can take time but there are so many ways to gather email address from your readers. The most important thing to remember is to make is as easy as possible for them to sign up.

A few common places to add an email sign up form is in the sidebar or footer on every page of your site or directly underneath your header. These places work because they’re out of the way enough to not be irritating, but they’re prominent enough that people will notice them.

The best way to get people to sign up for your list is to offer an incentive, or opt-in offer, for sharing their email. Things like mini ebooks, discounts on services or access to an exclusive list work really well because the person signing up is getting something in return. Plus, people love free stuff!

Giveaways are also a great way to capture email addresses. Hosting a simple contest on your blog where all the reader has to do is enter their email address is a great way to grow your list quickly. Or if you’re hosting a live event, you can capture email addresses from attendees by having them sign up to win a prize.

Want some ideas on creating an opt-in offer that people want? Here are three simple tactics:

  • Mini Ebook: Offer a downloadable ebook that will help your readers solve a problem. Give them design tips, create some fun worksheets or compile interviews you have done into a book.
  • Discount on Services: Offer a certain percentage off your services or products, throw in a service for free or offer free shipping from your shop. People love discounts.
  • Access to a ‘Faves’ List: Do you have a group of people you love to work with? Or a list of your favorite service providers? Take those lists and create a document with the names and contact information for each. This helps both you and the people on your favorites list and your readers will love to get an inside look at who you love to work with.
Feeling lost on how to get people to sign up for your list? One of the best ways is to offer an incentive (also known as an opt-in, content upgrade or lead magnet) to readers for sharing their email.

Do you need even more advice and ideas for opt-ins? Check out this post: How I Grew My Email List by 600% by Using Content Upgrades

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

My First Alt Summit

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I’ll admit, I was pretty nervous to attend Alt. I’m shy and I was not going to know anyone! Sure, I had a few online buddies, but I didn’t have any real life friends that would be there. I was not sure what to expect, but I knew I had to break out of my comfort zone and go for it! The first night Kristiina (Salt Lake City local) was nice enough to pick me up for our dinner with Honest. This was a huge relief since I hadn’t figured out the SLC Trax system quite yet (and cabs were near impossible to come by). The girls from Honest and everyone at the dinner were SO nice, I was already feeling more comfortable on the West coast! Since I got my ticket pretty late, Mariah invited me to stay in her room. It was really great to have a buddy to walk in with on the first day because the Grand America is pretty intimidating. It is the nicest place I have ever stepped foot into. After finding my way around and talking to a few people during the first session, I was again, amazed at how nice and welcoming everyone was! Whether they were a speaker, a blogger with a huge following, had been attending Alt since the beginning or this was their first year, everyone was nice! I met a ton of awesome people, I learned a lot from the panels and design camps, the sponsor lounges and parties were magical, Stefan Sagmeister‘s keynote, wow! It was overwhelming, exhausting and amazing all at the same time and I’m still not sure I can find the words to do this experience justice!

I also want to take a minute to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who helped to make my first trip to Alt Summit possible! Bing, Passionfruit Ads, Ashley Duffy, Barbara Dallen, Bridgette Rutz, Chelsea Commander, Gabrielle Cyr, Jason Graham, Kara DeMichele, Karl Holzenthal, Katie Pendergrass, Linda Kocher, Mary Ann Cardinale, Megan Pendergrass, Mindy, Rachael Dauro and Robyn. Also, my boyfriend who had to deal with me being a total stress ball for the month before, my sister for dealing with me asking her one million times “what should I wear” and my parents for helping me with my business cards the morning of my flight (the ones I ordered never arrived)! And thanks to everyone at Alt for being so nice!

Since one of my favorite parts of Alt was meeting new people, and they had photobooths galore, I’m going to share some fun photos with new friends! I can call Stefan Sagmeister a friend now, right?!

Alt Summit Friends

Photos: The Great Gatsby Lawn Party sponsored by Hayneedle, Clue Party photo by Brooke Dennis sponsored by Joss & Main, Mariah and I in The Land of Nod lounge, Blurb Class Reunion photo by by McKenzie Thompson, Stefan Sagmeister and I talking, Melissa and I, Caytlyn and I in the Method Home, The Girls With Glasses party Smilebooth

Maybe This Inspired That // Red and Pink on Pink by Mark Rothko

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Hey guys, it’s Thursday so Amanda is back with another Maybe This Inspired That! And you want to know something awesome?! Amanda and I finally got to meet and hangout at Alt! I also got to meet Melissa who writes The Font Feast AND I roomed with Mariah who writes some awesome blogging advice posts here! Here is a picture of the four of us (it’s a pretty crappy photo, but hey, it’s a memory)!

Maybe This Inspired That // Red and Pink on Pink by Mark Rothko

The Art // Mark Rothko started the color block and the ombre trends way back in the 1930’s. His massive abstract “landscape” paintings fill your whole eye with color, flowing in and out from dark to light. He is one of my favorite artists from history.

The Inspired // Fig. 01, Fig. 02, Fig. 03

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Ciera Design Studio established 2010
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