Substance and Style

    Read posts about marketing below. Note: nonprofit marketing and communications will be covered in the Nonprofit Development class launching soon.

    • Seven Marketing and Design Trends Coming In 2025

      As we head into fall, it’s time to start planning our marketing efforts for 2025. Here are some of the trends we expect to see. As always, what works for you will depend on your target market, your overall marketing goals and strategies, and your resources. As we head into uncharted technological territory, a good…

    • Choose A Hero Image That Creates The Right First Impression

      A hero image is usually the first thing people see when they visit your website. It’s important that it sets the right tone and makes a good first impression. Ideally, your hero image will be:

    • Protect Your Brand Across All Channels

      To be competitive these days, most businesses must maintain multiple online spaces and communication channels in addition to any physical space they hold. Ideally, a customer should be able to look at your storefront, signage, logo, website, newsletter, brochure, postcard, and email and know that they all came from the same place. Building that kind…

    • Combine Old School and Modern Marketing Techniques For Better Results

      In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, it’s easy to become enamored with the latest tools and trends. As we race to keep up with the competition and adopt every new technology that comes along, we shouldn’t overlook the importance and value of traditional strategies. The smartest way to approach marketing is to leverage both.…

    • Five Content Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

      Content marketing is one of the best ways to build brand awareness, educate customers, create trust, and generate leads. To make the most of your efforts, avoid these five common mistakes:

    • 9 Steps to Better Webinars

      Webinars can be a great tool for building brand recognition and loyalty, pulling customers into a sales funnel, and establishing yourself as an expert. If you want to use webinars to market your business, here are some steps you will want to take:

    • Content Creation: Legal and Ethical Issues

      The internet may seem like the wild west, but it’s not truly without laws. If you’re creating content for your business, you need to be aware of potential legal and ethical issues. While it may seem like “everyone” is saying whatever they feel, using whatever images they want, and neglecting to verify “facts,” you or…

    • Create Better YouTube Thumbnails 

      Thumbnails are the visual equivalent of a copyrighting hook. As the first impression your videos make, they are essential for getting clicks and views. If you want to connect with your audience, you have to attract them first. Here are some tips for making your thumbnails as effective as possible:

    • Improve Your Email Deliverability 

      Email is one of the most effective marketing tools because it allows you to fully control your messaging and build relationships with your audience, all while maintaining a high Return on Investment. High deliverability is essential to your email marketing success, as low deliverability and low open rates can make emails from your address seem…

    • Does Your Business Need An App?

      To be competitive these days, you absolutely need a mobile presence. A responsive website is essential, and some businesses will benefit from having an app. Others will waste resources by developing apps that are completely unnecessary. You want to fully consider the pros and cons before taking such a big step. Here are some things…

    • The Best Ways To Use Email Automation

      Email is still one of the best tools at your disposal. It’s one of the few ways you can completely control your messaging, it has tremendous potential for personalization, and it has one of the highest Returns on Investment of any kind of marketing. That said, email marketing can become incredibly time-consuming, which is where…

    • Balance UX and UI for a Better Website

      It’s important that your website focus on both UX (user experience or functionality) and UI (user interface or aesthetics). Most websites favor one over the other. However, if you’re looking for your website to produce results around sales and marketing, you need it to both function well and look good. Start by having clear goals…

    • B2B Relationship-Building Marketing Strategies That Increase Sales 

      If you want bigger payoffs from your marketing efforts, it’s important to focus on building key relationships. Even though it can take more time to move leads through your sales funnel with this approach, most people find that they get more loyal long-term customers this way. It also sets you apart in the age of…

    • Get The Most From Your Google Business Profile

      Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is an important part of your online presence. If you have a storefront or other physical location where you can serve walk-in customers or clients, your profile could be very effective at bringing in foot traffic. It’s also a good way to enhance your visibility and boost…

    • Create Content That Sets You Apart

      A content strategy is an essential part of almost anyone’s overall marketing strategy these days. If you rely on the internet at all to find customers, sell products or services, or even build awareness of your brand, you must optimize for search engines, which largely involves producing credible, authoritative, and interesting content. But, because everyone…