Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally use, and the income goes to keeping this site updated and free for everyone!
This is for all my creative entrepreneurs and ladies who are doing the rounds of online business. You’re trying to do all the things and being your best you can be showing up for your grind. I help female businesses thrive online and it’s important to know….
Marketing marketing marketing marketing marketing. I have been doing a lot of that in my businesses. What is marketing? It’s a form of communication with your ideal audience aka people who are willing to take the time to listen and money to spend on you.
I’m sure there are more elegant ways to put that, but I don’t like to beat around the bush. I am a businesswoman after all who has to get things done as efficiently possible.
Here are all the tools I use to keep my businesses thriving and easy to run beautifully!
First things first: Canva
I use this for EVERYTHING. From Pinterest pins, to article covers for each blog post, to Youtube thumbnails, and Instagram story templates. This has everything I need if I want to Photoshop something together quickly, easily, and fabulously.
Also, Adobe Photoshop truly takes a lot of bandwidth and energy to even start up on the computer. Oh, and time. I don’t have that extra 10 minutes to open and close all my windows just for one program to load to create some super cool graphics that take less time to open and make on Canva. And it’s so complicated with all the technical tools you need a certificate to study for. Canva is very simple and even has quick and easy tutorials.
I made these cute Pins / blog article covers! What do you think? 🙂
Canva has saved me with access to all kinds of templates to create designs as customized as I like. I love using my brand colours with graphic designs that take 2 seconds to create. My logo is saved, I have different folders for different projects saved, and I can share files I’m working on with others who can access the site or application through a simple link. Every project is easy to share in so many types of formats. Namely PDFs, even multiple website interfaces, SVG, PNG, JPG and MP4 files for photo and video, and so much more. The list goes on.
I also created these super cute Youtube thumbnails that get me ALL THE VIEWS!
I love it so much I have the app on my phone, because you never know when you need to touch something up, or want to be creative on the fly. I am on literally flights sometimes, making my Pinterest pins or IGTV covers extra special. You can throw things together so easily, and I cannot recommend it more!
When I first started using it, I had zero idea what I was doing with my life. It has everything you need to make things beautiful, add your personality to any type of Instagram post, or anything online, and takes the hassle out of expensive, difficult programs. It’s efficient, beautiful, and easy.
Post Like A Social Media Pro With Planoly
Now that you have something beautiful designed you want to post about to promote your business, you need to hire a social media manager! Just kidding. You don’t have the $700 a month to pay someone? There’s an automated, much more affordable alternative.
Planoly posts automatically and recently, they just made it so that you can schedule reels as customized as possible! I’m so excited for this as I saw the announcement for it this morning (December 2, 2021, Thursday), and don’t have to worry about drafts on Instagram anymore. It’s stressful because the button only shows up sometimes and the glitches are real.
I love Planoly, because I have over 70 hashtag combination, can save all my SEO keywords and automatically apply them. This makes being found on Google much easier and takes out the 15 minutes of doing research on each topic searching on Keywords Everywhere. It just takes out a lot of work, time, and cost. Which every business owner needs!
Videos, carousels, reels, even Instagram stories can be lined up and ready to go. It automatically posts single posts and – what was announced today – reels. As for carousels, stories, and IGTV, you still need to load those on yourselves. However, it does sent a notification to your phone (turn those on in settings) to remind you to post them with the caption, hashtags, everything ready and loaded.
It also has a beautiful and easy to use interface where you can see what your grid will look like ahead of time. And Planoly even has blog posts and tips on how to make your posts stand out with tons of ideas I like to use myself! It drops all the latest Instagram news, and how to stay on top of the social media game for your business to thrive. Yes! I said it. Thrive.
You can connect multiple accounts and adjust your plans depending on how many businesses you’re working on, and can pay annually. That’s my favourite. Being able to get things done one and done easily without monthly pains to worry about. That’s the ultimate feeling as a business owner – actually taking care of business.
It’s one of the most stress-free tools I have for running my business. All the applications mentioned in this blog post are 100% all stress-free which is why I only mention these few programs. I have been using them for years now, and there’s nothing more exciting than sharing what works with my fellow ladies to be better businesswomen! 😀
Hautestock: Glam & Down To Earth Aesthetic Stock Photos & Video
I originally stumbled across Hautestock – I don’t remember how, but I remember when. It was last year a bit before November. It was an expensive purchase as I was putting all my money into my business and working so hard to put each penny to only top priority expenses.
Then, the Black Friday deal came along. Going from $300 a year to $200, I threw my body onto the option and body slammed it. I have been using it endlessly and it is well worth every single second of using it!
I’ve haven’t really felt this way about a product. Canva is the only thing I can really compare to my amount of usage, which is multiple times a day, several days a week.
Create beautiful emails with Flodesk
Aesthetic af. I have been stepping up my email game, taking it day by day, because the design in this program has so many options. I got the paid beta version when it first came out and immediately was obsessed!
They make growing your email list so fast. You can embed sign-ups just like this.
A little bit of code, a small bit of design, and voila! You’re a pro at setting up your business to reach your target audience directly. I have so much fun customizing everything. They even make it so easy to design a page where you just drag and drop photos, have already picked out palettes for branding, and landing pages to collect leads like this one.
All I have to do is share the link. Flodesk recently launched Flodesk University where they guide you through marketing skills, tasks that need to be prioritized in email chains, newsletters, and how to manage workflows. They make it really easy and digestible too.
This final bit is the most important. Just watch the video haha.
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I loved putting this together for you. Just keep going through all the things you need to do in your business, even if you don’t feel like it. Get through that feeling, make a habit of showing up, and it’s a journey. Just a reminder.
The roller coaster ride is not perfect when navigating running a business, but I sincerely believe in you. One of my favourite quotes is:
A crack addict doesn’t give up and say, “I’m going to quit doing drugs. I can’t afford it.” No. Don’t let a crack addict outdo you today.
I forgot
It resonates in me so deeply that some people don’t just have what it takes, and you never realize you don’t have it until you give up. You never want to come to terms with such a realization, because it’s not true. All you have to do is keep going and find every excuse to succeed.
When you feel a moment of weakness coming around, say this quote out loud and laugh. Then get back to work.
Soft Spring Style🌷
Put your device down and get fresh air.🍃
Soft Spring Style Inspo🌹
Soft Spring Style OOTD🌼
Soft Spring Style Inspo🌹
I’m Gia G. Dixon, an ILM certified etiquette consultant. Here is my guide to elegant style, high quality living, and little things that make your daily life glamorous.
Find me on: Web
You must log in to post a comment.