Professional

10 Email Signature Tips to Look Professional at Work

In a world where tweets and blog posts are all the rage, communicating via email is still as popular as ever. In fact, in the business world, emails are still one of if not the primary form of communication online.

And if you send lots of emails for work, you probably want to create an email signature that ends all of the emails that you send in a professional manner. 

Well, there are a ton of email signature tips to keep in mind when creating your very own email signature. And once you know what to do, and what not to do, you’ll see that creating the perfect email signature isn’t as hard as you may believe!

In this article, we’ll give you 10 email signature tips and tricks that you need to know in order to create the most professional and effective email signature. Now then, let’s get started!

1. Remember: Simple and Sweet

If there’s one word you should have in mind when crafting your email signature, it’s simplicity. Doing too much is almost a guarantee that you’re going to create a signature that turns people off.

Less truly is more, to say the least.

2. Limit Yourself to 3 or 4 Lines of Text

A great way to ensure that you keep your signature simple and sweet is to limit yourself to 3 or 4 lines of text. Anything more than that is going to be overwhelming, or too much to read, which isn’t what you want.

3. Design with Mobile Users in Mind

It’s the year 2020. Odds are, you send and receive the majority of your emails from a mobile device. It’s also safe to assume you’re not the only person who does this, meaning you need to create a signature with mobile users in mind.

Making something that is mobile-friendly is easy, as long as you limit yourself to how much content you include. Also, check to see how your signature looks on your mobile devices to confirm nothing looks off before sending too many emails. 

4. Consider Using a Picture

Regardless of your brand or business, you likely have a picture that you feel represents what you’re all about. Whether it’s a headshot or a company logo, consider including that picture in your email signature.

Don’t be afraid to go with a bit of color, too, as it’s a great way to stand out in someone’s email inbox. 

5. Balance Your Content Evenly

If you do decide to go with a picture, make sure you format your signature so that everything looks balanced. In other words, make sure your text and your picture flow together smoothly.

A good rule of thumb? Position your picture on the left side of your signature with your text on the right. Combined, your text should be the exact same size of your picture, meaning no words drop below the picture itself.

6. Don’t Include Your Email Address

There’s absolutely no reason to have your email in your signature. People already know who is emailing them, making that bit of information redundant.

Including your email address makes you look a bit amateurish, which of course, isn’t what you want.

7. Leave “Sent From My iPhone” On

We’ve all see that “Sent from my iPhone” tag at the end of an email. And while it may appear to be unprofessional at first glance, it’s actually not the worst idea to leave that feature enabled, if you have an iPhone.

Letting someone know you sent an email from a mobile device leads to them being more forgiving of any spelling or grammatical errors. And of course, spelling and grammatical errors are much more common when typing on mobile devices.

8. Link Your Social Media Accounts

While linking to your email address isn’t necessary, linking to your social media accounts is. Doing so can make it much easier for clients and customers to contact you, which of course, can be quite helpful.

Just make sure that you’re social media accounts are also professional, as someone is likely going to click on them eventually. 

9. End With a “Call to Action”

Ending your email signature with a call to action, or a CTA, should be near the top of your to-do list. Also, don’t overthink your CTA, as that’s a great way to set yourself up for failure. 

Something as simple as your social media links, or a link to your portfolio, works well. 

10. Browse For Examples in Your Inbox

If you’re still not sure how to format your email signature, consider copying someone in your email inbox. Odds are, you have quite a few examples to browse, and if you see something you like, try to mimic it and make it your own.

Also, you can make a digital signature online in just a few minutes, using an email signature maker tool.

10 Email Signature Tips and Tricks

Well, there you have it! Those are 10 email signature tips and tricks that you can use to create the perfect, most-professional email signature!

Remember, above all else, keep it simple. Don’t feel like you need to tell everyone every single thing about you in a few lines. Only include the most important details, as less is always more.

If you’re not sure exactly what you want to include, take a second to browse your email inbox for some examples. And if you find something you like, but aren’t sure how to recreate, use an online email signature maker to bring your signature to life.

Looking for more ways to stand out in the business world? Check out our blog!

Going With the Pros: The Top Benefits of Hiring a Professional Graphic Designer

If your pipes fail, you bring in a plumber. If you break your leg, you call up a doctor. If you decide it’s high time your company updated its logo, are you sure you want to try to take on that task on your own?

There are specific tasks that we’re better off leaving to the pros. And, graphic design is one of those jobs.

A lot of business owners see graphic design as a luxury expense. After all, how hard can it be to draw up a compelling ad for your latest marketing campaign?

The truth is, there’s a lot more to graphic design than doodling logos. And, whether you’re looking to create a new website or engaging packaging for your store, a graphic designer can help you get the job done.

Still not convinced?

Here are a few of the top reasons why you should hire a professional graphic designer.

Time Is Money

As a business owner, your day to day life is probably already busy enough as is.

By hiring a professional graphic designer, you won’t have to worry about dedicating a lot of time trying to design your new website yourself.

And, on top of that, by bringing in a professional, you can make sure that the job gets done right and on time, saving you and your company plenty of time.

A Fresh Perspective

A professional graphic designer has years of experience in figuring out what works and what doesn’t. And, on top of all their design expertise, they can bring to the table one thing you’ll never be able to get from your in house team: an outsider’s opinion.

A designer will work with you to figure out what you’re looking for while introducing fresh ideas that could help take your brand to the next level.

Boost Your Brand

Every successful business owner knows that branding is everything.

Bringing on a professional graphic designer can help you take control of your company’s branding.

A designer won’t just create the perfect logo to represent your business. They’ll also be able to create everything from color palates to design schemes that can make your company look more professional.

Get It Done Right the First Time

Finally, as we said before if you want a job done right, you need to hire someone with the right tools and expertise.

A professional graphic designer doesn’t just come with experience. They also will already have all the design tools needed to get the job done.

Graphic design companies will be able to work with you to ensure that you get the best people for your specific task and that the job gets done on schedule.

Why You Should Hire a Professional Graphic Designer

Now that you know why you should bring in a professional graphic designer, it’s time to get to work.

Are you looking for more ways to boost your business? We can help!

Check out our other articles for more information on everything from how to master social media marketing to how to design the perfect logo.

7 Reasons to Hire a Professional Office Cleaning Service

Your office is probably dirtier than you think. A study found office desks are 400 times dirtier than a toilet seat. You want your office to be clean and getting it as clean as it should be can be challenging.

A clean work environment leads to better productivity and employee satisfaction. Read about more great reasons to hire a professional office cleaning service.

1. Create a Healthier Workplace

You want your employees to be healthy. All these germs lurking around your office could lead to more sick days, which ultimately affect your productivity.

Allergies are another big reason people miss work. This is why it’s important to have a professional cleaning service to help reduce the buildup of allergens.

2. A Clean Office Makes a Good Impression

You want your customers and visitors to feel welcome in your building. It takes 3 to 5 seconds to start off on the right foot with your customers.

Having a clean office helps make a good impression. You can be sure your bathrooms and reception areas are clean when you use a professional cleaning company.

3. Reduce Stress

Having clutter and dirt can be stressful. You have more important things to do instead of cleaning. Leave the cleaning to the pros to help you feel refreshed and not worry about cleaning.

4. Higher Quality Cleaning

A professional cleaner has the tools and knowledge to make your office sparkle. They will focus on the cleaning and can tackle multiple areas without interruption. Some companies, such as Like Never Before Janitorial Service Inc., offer green cleaning services that are better for the environment and your employees.

5. Free Up Time

It takes time to run a business, and you shouldn’t have to worry about doing the routine chores around your office. Imagine how nice it would be to just focus on your business and have a reliable company come to remove all the germs and grime from your office. 

6. Save Money in the Long Run

A cleaning service tackles the stains and contaminants before they get worse. Without proper cleaning, you could have to remove mold or mildew which is costly. You can also make your carpet last longer since it is regularly cleaned.

7. Increased Productivity

Employees would be much happier in a fresh, clean office. The clean air is easier to breathe. The EPA says that indoor air quality is one of the top risks to human health.

Your employees won’t be as productive if they are facing allergies or having to stop working to run a vacuum. Dirty air can diminish your cognitive function and will make you not think clearly.

Ready for Professional Office Cleaning Service?

You want your employees to be healthy and happy. You need a clean office to keep the germs away and prevent employee sick days. Hiring a professional office cleaning service will ensure you have a professional level clean—and save you time.

Looking for other business advice? Check out our site to learn more about digital marketing and content strategy and how to drive traffic. You can learn how to drive more customers into your newly cleaned office space for a great first impression.

From Beginner to Pro: 5 Things a Beginner Needs to Start a Professional Blog

Did you know that there are over 80 million blog posts published every month? Blogging is a trend you don’t want to miss out on, and it’s easy to get started. Blogs are a fantastic way to share helpful information with the world around you and start generating content that is all your own.

Before you dive in head first, we’re going to show you five things you need as a beginner to start a professional blog.

Starting Your Professional Blog

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, there are a few items you must address before proceeding. A successful blog requires a lot of planning and a clear vision.

Have A Plan

The first thing to do is create a plan that walks you through the steps you need in setting up your blog, preparing for blog content, and pushing your content out on a schedule. Do you have a specific topic in mind you’re an expert on or you’re interested in?

Determine the types of topics you’d like to discuss, then you’ll set some goals.

Set Blog Goals

The goals of your blog will depend on the type of blog you’re rolling out. Is it personal or for a business? Are you attempting to raise awareness, make some side money, or use it as an online diary? It’s great to have goals even if your blog is just for personal use.

Set goals on the number of blog visitors you get per month, how many articles you’d like to post and when, and if you’re monetizing – a dollar amount.

Choose a Platform

There are many different blogging platforms to choose from. The most popular today are Squarespace, Tumblr, and WordPress. This is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when setting up your professional blog. The platform you choose will dictate how you maintain your blog.

These platforms allow for blog hosting, support, adding plugins and making your site more customizable. Do some research and determine which is right for you or get some more info here.

Write Good Content, Ensure You’re Found

One of the biggest things to be successful with your blog is to continuously publish good content. If you’ve stuck with a topic, be relevant, and don’t wander off the path too far. You’ll keep your readers by providing them with valuable information, and create a community that keeps coming back.

Blog For Your Audience

Your audience is your greatest asset in blogging. Getting engagement from them is key. We’ve all stumbled across a blog that has thousands of posts, but no comments, likes, or reshares. It loses validity and credibility if no one is saying anything.

Make sure you don’t lose sight of who your audience is and be active with your readers. Turn your blog into a conversation and it will surprise them every time!

To Blog or Not to Blog

Now that you know these important steps, you’re ready to create a professional blog! With the help of these guidelines, you’ll develop a community of readers, release relevant content on a schedule, and use a platform to promote your work.

If you’re interested in learning how to write engaging and creative articles, take a look at our blog today.

7 Blog Design Tips That’ll Make Your Site Look Professional

The number of websites online is quickly approaching 2 billion. Yes, I said billion, with a B! Wow!

How do you possibly compete with those billion other people that want your customer’s attention? It seems impossible, right?

Well, I have good news for you. Many of those websites are not good at all. Their blog design is – let’s say, not so great?

If you want to get the respect and attention you deserve online, you need to have a professional blog. You need to make sure your brand is on point and representing you in a way that is going to get the right kind of attention. The good kind that is.

To learn more about how to make your blog look professional, continue reading this article.

Boost Your Blog Design to the Next Level

As you’re looking over the latest web design trends, it is easy to get distracted. You aren’t sure what you need to do first. Maybe you start one thing and then another and another.

Before long, you’re left with a bunch of half-finished projects, and your website is looking a little neglected. Knowing how important the design of your blog is, you’ve come here. And you’ve come to the right place.

1. Plan Out Your Design

If you throw your design together on a whim, everyone is about to tell. Instead of piecing your design together element by element, make a plan before you even get started.

As with your content marketing strategy, you need to have a strategy when you want your blog to look professional and well organized.

2. Watch Your Grammar

The fastest way to negate from a beautifully designed site is to riddle it with terrifying grammar mistakes. You don’t want to make your readers gasp and shake their head when reading through your information.

While grammar isn’t a design element, it will kill all of your chances of credibility, so we wanted to throw it in here for you.

3. Don’t Sacrifice Too Much for Conversions

We’ve all been to that website. You know the one. The one with three different pop-ups, a scroll over and an abandonment opt-in form. 

Sigh.

Frustrating, I know. You don’t want to be that guy or gal. When you’re going for conversions, make sure you keep the user experience in mind.

If you sacrifice the user experience to increase your opt-in rate too much, you may lose a high percentage of your visitors. And you’ll definitely upset more than a few.

When you have too many pop-ups, pop-overs, lightboxes and such, it doesn’t look professional. It looks cluttered and unattractive.

4. Thinking in Colors

When you’re building your brand, you need to create your brand color palette. Your business cards, website, and other marketing materials should all work with those same colors.

People associate you with colors, and it makes it easier for them to remember you. You want people to remember you and your brand so don’t forget your color scheme when you’re designing your blog.

A professionally put together color scheme compliments the other colors in the scheme and makes people enjoy browsing through your website more. Avoid flashy and clashing colors as they may hurt the eyes and be a turn-off.

5. Branding Your Graphics

Honestly, people are going to hi-jack your graphics. We know it, but if we’re prepared, we can get some exposure out of it, at least. Put your logo in your graphics so if someone takes them from your site, they will still know who made them.

Not only will branding your graphics help you keep your name in front of people looking at your content, but it will also make you look more professional. When you brand your graphics in a classy manner, it shows you know how to take care of business.

6. Bye Bye Clutter

Remember when I said early about all of the pop-ups, pop-unders and other opt-in forms? Well, those aren’t the only kinds of clutter that make a blog look unprofessional. 

Think about some blogs you’ve visited. Maybe you’ve seen a blog with a tag cloud with random phrases. If you click one of those phrases in the tag cloud it takes you to a blog post that is tagged with that keyword. 

People very rarely use tag clouds and it looks tacky. You can either get rid of the tag cloud or put another type of more useful navigation in its place.

7. Hello White Space

Whoa. You’ve got a lot of stuff going on there.

Just like you wouldn’t want your date to show up wearing a striped suit with a checkered necktie and bowling shoes, your website shouldn’t have too much going on either.

Leave plenty of white space, so people’s eyes get an opportunity to rest. When you leave white space on your blog, you allow users to focus on the most important part of your website. Use whitespace to direct attention instead of feeling like it is a waste of blog space.

Bonus Tip – Your Content Needs to Be Easy to Scan

When you write your blog posts, make sure to break your content into easy to scan pieces. If people don’t want to read a specific part, they should be able to skip to the next header to get into the next important part of the post.

When you structure your content this way, it is put together thoughtfully. Thoughtfully and well-structured content is valuable to your visitors and shows your level of professionalism.

Creating a Content Marketing Strategy for the Win

Now that you’re a blog design ninja and you know how to give your users an amazing experience, it’s time to level up. Learning how to make your blog look amazing is great, but now you need eyeballs on the blog.

We’ve created amazing content for you so you can learn how to promote your blog and get more traffic. Read our content marketing strategy articles today and learn how to grow your traffic.

5 Reasons You Need to Hire a Professional Website Designer for Your Blog

Having a basic Squarespace site for your blog is a good start, but it isn’t enough to help you fund your dreams.

Take Ariana Huffington’s word for it. The Huffington Post started out as a simple blog but is now worth around $1 billion.

If you’re ready to step up your blog game, you’ll need a bit of professional assistance. Here are five reasons why you should hire a website designer for your blog.

1. Hiring a Website Designer Gives You More Time to Blog

There aren’t enough hours in the day as it is. Between writing, editing, publishing, and mingling with your audience, there’s hardly a free moment.

Fortunately, pro web designers can alleviate some of the burdens.

By allowing them to work their magic, you’ll have more time to do what you do best — blog.

While they won’t be able to help you develop a website from scratch — website designers and website developers are two very different positions, which you can compare here — you’ll still save time.

Instead of spending hours learning CSS and hoping your newfound skills serve you well, use that time to come up with more content. In the long run, you may even save money this way.

2. A Professional-Looking Blog Brings in Revenue

According to Statista, there are over 4 million blogs on Tumblr alone!

Since that number doesn’t factor in blogs from professional and personal websites, you can rest assured that the actual number of blogs online at this moment is far higher.

Because of the competition, it’s vital for bloggers to gain their readers’ trust. Not only will this trust result in more readers, but it may help you make more money.
A quality blog with a proven readership is far more likely to attract advertisers.

3. Your Blog Will Load Faster

Few things are as frustrating as waiting for a website to load. Even a few seconds can seem like an eternity to most web users.

Web designers can help you optimize your images and tailor your URLs so that your readers can access your great content in a flash.

4. No Need to Worry About Sitewide SEO Compliance

Not only will the help of web designers speed your site up, but a redesign may result in better search rankings.

Website designers can help you improve your on-site SEO in a variety of ways, including adding markup structures that are web crawler friendly and creating sitemaps.

5. Website Designers Can Help Reinforce Your Brand

You may think of yourself as a blogger or content creator, but you’re also a brand. Everything you put on your blog reinforces or detracts from that brand.

Web designers can help your blog better represent the ideals and beliefs you’d like to portray through the use of color, fonts, and more.

Revamp Your Blog With Professional Assistance

Partnering with a website designer is a fantastic idea for bloggers of any scale.

Whether you’re a small blogger hoping to grow or an established blogger hoping to make it even bigger, a web designer can help you get where you want to be.

Now all that’s left is to create great content! Check out our article on writing SEO-friendly posts to learn more.

9 Reasons Why You Need a Professional Web Designer

In this day and age, a business who doesn’t have a website is almost unheard of. Having a presence on the web is important to helping a business grow and maintaining visibility to potential customers. But if you’re just starting out or have never set up a website before, you may be wondering if it’s worth hiring a professional web designer.

Would a web designer be worth the money? Or would it be easier to simply create your website on your own?

Chances are there’s more benefits to hiring a professional than you may think. So before you spend too much time trying to set your site up on your own, let’s discuss 9 reasons why you need the help of a professional web designer.

1. Professional Experience and Resources

When you work with a professional web designer, you know that you’re getting someone with training and years of experience in the field. Not only that, they also have access to the latest resources which includes software, programs, and other web professionals.

It may be tempting to try to do it yourself or hire a grad student to design your page, but you could be wasting time and money by not getting a site that is optimized to its full potential.

A professional can create a powerful web design that can draw your audience in from the very first visit.

2. Custom Design

Your business is unique. Just like you, it has its own personality, its own purpose, and its own look, so it’s important that each of those come across clearly to your audience.

A web designer will sit down with you and learn about your brand, your products and services, and what you want people to be able to do on your site. Then they will design a page that is completely customized to your brand and your needs.

No cookie cutter websites allowed. This will ensure that your site stands out amongst your competition.

3. Saves You Valuable Time

Running a business takes a lot of time and work, time you likely don’t have available for designing your own website. Especially when you don’t know much about designing a site in the first place.

A professional web designer will already know the in’s and out’s of complete web design, which will save you an incredible amount of time trying to figure it out on your own. And when it’s done right the first time, you don’t have to worry about fixing any amateur mistakes later on, which also saves time.

Your attention and focus can stay on doing what you love, running and growing your business.

4. Webmaster Services

Just because your website is done doesn’t mean it’s complete. Just like many other aspects of your business, your website needs regular maintenance to run smoothly.

Technology is constantly changing. Things can malfunction. So using professional web design services gives you someone in your corner to help out when your site needs it. This can save you a lot of time and unneeded headaches.

5. Increases Web Traffic

The whole point of being on the web is to draw traffic to your site and to your business. That’s where SEO comes into play. A professional web designer will know how to get that job done right.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) enables your website to be ranked on search engines, such as Google and Bing. The more optimized your site is, the higher it will rank, which means people will be able to find your site easily. That will equal up to more traffic and more business for you!

A web designer who is knowledgeable in SEO techniques can optimize your website for search engine success.

6. Updated Technology

Web technology is changing and improving all the time. Having the resources and the know-how to keep up with it can be a daunting task.

Professional web designers will be able to create a site using the newest technology, the latest trends, and know when to update when newer technology is developed. This will give your site an advantage over your competitors while also giving your audience the best experience possible, ensuring return visits.

7. Improves Your Credibility and Reputation

Let’s face it, looks are everything when it comes to web design. A site that looks homemade is not going to get the same credibility and trust as a site that is professionally done.

You only get one chance to make a great first impression, so make sure visitors who come to your site feel that they are dealing with somebody who knows what they are talking about. That translates when your site is clean, easy to read, runs great, and looks polished.

And even if your company is a small one, a professionally designed site can make it look bigger than it actually is, putting you right up there with the big guys.

8. Ensures Your Site Is Mobile Friendly

Smartphones have made it easy for people to now have the internet available at their fingertips. So more and more people are browsing the web on their phones instead of a computer. Making your website mobile friendly is more important than ever.

A web designer will know how to ensure each and every aspect of your site is easily readable and user-friendly from a mobile device. That means keeping the format intact, making it easy to navigate from a smaller screen

9. It Will Increase Your Sales

When your site looks good and runs well, it will give your audience the confidence to buy your products and services.

Web designers know how to layout a products page or set up a services menu that will be easy for your customers to navigate and read. Product images and descriptions are properly displayed. Services are easily explained.

Plus, your site will be set up to correctly receive payments, which gives both you and your customers peace of mind.

Hiring a Professional Web Designer Is Good for Your Business

Your business’s website shouldn’t look like something that was an afterthought. By using the services of a professional web designer, you can properly show off your business to customers in a manner that will help your business grow.

Click here to find more tips about web design and development!