How to Increase Conversions on Your Landing Page

By Meredith Cook
on September 25, 2020

"Don't make me think." Those four words, made famous by usability guru Steve Krug, sum up user experience at its core—and it’s the most fundamental key to successfully selling your product or service with inbound marketing. We know that a well-designed landing page should have engaging graphics or images, clean fonts that are easy to read, and pleasing colors. But aesthetics aside, making the end result as simple and pleasant as possible is the key to increasing your conversions and keeping your customers happy. Let’s look at eight strategic lessons you can implement on your landing pages for more success in conversion rates. 

How to Build Brand Affinity on a Small Business Budget

By Meredith Cook
on July 07, 2020

Brand affinity is a powerful driver for business growth. While brand awareness is a measure of how many consumers know about your business, and brand loyalty focuses on how many customers buy from your company, brand affinity is a metric that focuses on how customers feel about your brand. In other words, it's the technical term for why Coke drinkers would never get near a can of Pepsi, or why Android users get in arguments with Apple fans.

Why a Long-Term Mindset is Crucial for Digital Marketing in 2020

By Meredith Cook
on April 28, 2020

With today's global uncertainty and the impending recession concerns, many businesses in nearly every industry will see budget cuts—especially in marketing. In an attempt to get the best possible results within little time, some business owners might also believe that their best option is to use their money on "quick wins" and short-term marketing campaigns while avoiding any long-term strategies, but this isn't the best course of action.

Communicating with Your Customers in Times of Crisis

By Meredith Cook
on April 14, 2020

As a small business owner, you are most likely facing uncertain times ahead. Our collective world has been turned upside down in the wake of a global pandemic, and businesses are being impacted dramatically. Many companies are unable to function on all cylinders and some being forced to shut their doors completely. But while many business owners feel they are at a standstill, choosing to halt their usual marketing and advertising strategies, it's more important than ever for businesses to focus their strategy on adapting to the new challenges being thrown their way. What does that mean for marketing? Don't go dark.

7 Fresh Graphic Design Trends for 2019

By Meredith Cook
on February 14, 2019

A few tips to keep your work fresh this year: flat design is out (kind of), serifs are in, and some rules are just thrown out the window. From abstraction of art to unconventional font pairings to oversized designs that fall off the page, the trends for 2019 all scream to be seen. Take a look at some of our favorite examples below and how you can use them in your work this year.

Large, High-Impact Typography

This year, typography is going big—literally and figuratively. Large-format, all-caps type will take over, and fun effects on this type (think metallic and 3D) boost the impact even more. In addition, we’ll see typography get super involved in the design, playing an active role in interacting with the rest of the elements. Try mixing different font weights, experimenting with various type orientations and pairing unexpected fonts. 

Our Most-Loved Lessons from INBOUND 2018

By Meredith Cook
on September 26, 2018

We’ve finally calmed down enough from the post-excitement of INBOUND 2018 to gather our thoughts and compile our favorite takeaways from this year’s conference. It was certainly a year to remember—from Deepak Chopra leading a powerful group meditation to a breakout session that ended with free beer (thanks, Harpoon!) to many representations of girl bosses kicking butt. Read on for easy-to-digest summaries of the most important knowledge nuggets we brought home from Boston.

10 Golden Design Rules to Make Your Email Shine (and Convert!)

By Meredith Cook
on June 12, 2018

As our inboxes become more and more crowded, it’s your responsibility as a genius marketer to stand out above the rest. Email marketing without the right strategy leads to a lot of work without a lot of payoff, and the design of your email is one of the key ingredients in a successful strategy. Behold: the ten golden rules of email design that will set you on the path to inbox glory.

Have You Seen This Year's Graphic Design Trends?

4 Insights for Reaching Your Goals (and Avoiding Burnout) in 2018

By Meredith Cook
on January 16, 2018

January is once again upon us, and with the New Year comes a whole slew of resolutions that many of us will not keep (92% of us, in fact!). Like you, there are several changes I’d like to make and things I’d like to improve upon in the coming year. But the big problem that comes year after year for the majority of us is the inability to achieve the things we want. What if we could actually accomplish what we want to do, no doubt about it? How awesome would that be? Even better, what if we could reach those high aspirations without losing sleep, sacrificing sanity, or affecting our mood and relationships? It is possible.