Topic

A solid idea is what gets you off the ground. When it comes to choosing a topic, consider what your audience is looking for – what questions are they asking? Providing useful, relevant information, such as tips and advice on SEO, copywriting and content strategy for a digital marketing blog, is key to success.

Headline

An enticing title is one of the most important parts of a blog post! The first thing potential readers see, it must be engaging and click-worthy – boring headlines are much more likely to be passed over. A great headline lets readers know what’s in it for them.

Images

Every blog post needs a great image or three. Images should be eye-catching and relevant – they break up blocks of text and make them easier to read and more visually appealing. They add another dimension to the post and also work to keep the reader’s eye moving downwards.

Introduction

The introduction supports the title and connects it to the rest of the post and also provides an overview of the content to come. It lets readers know what to expect in more detail and, as such, should be captivating and inviting – just remember not to give too much away.

Body Content

Body content should be concise, grammatically correct and informative. Reflective both of your business and the topic at hand, breaking it up into short paragraphs makes it much easier to read. To ensure you offer the reader what you’re promising, proofread once and then proofread again. A second set of eyes is always good to have on hand.

Conclusion

A proper conclusion summarizes the content of the article and is short and concise. A handy way to wrap up, it provides a simple overview of the points of discussion as well as their benefit.

Social Networks and Sharing

Make it easy for readers to share your blog posts on Facebook, Twitter and other networks by including social sharing buttons on each page. This also encourages readers who don’t follow you to take the plunge, especially if they enjoy your posts and would like to stay up-to-date on what your company’s talking about.

Call To Action

One last thing that every great blog post has is a Call To Action. A main purpose of a business blog is to generate traffic and, ideally, leads for your company. Once a potential client has landed on your webpage and is reading your content, take it a step further by encouraging them to, for example, download a free eBook or white paper or sign up for an email newsletter. Another option is to offer the reader a next step, such as contacting your service team or visiting and “liking” your business Facebook page.

Representative of your business as a whole, blog posts provide useful, relevant information, promote your services and play a key role in initiating client relationships. A great way to build trust and rapport, taking the time to craft engaging and effective posts begins with these key elements. For help developing, launching and maintaining your company blog, contact Yabsta Digital today!

DO: Decide If You Really Need It

Is an email newsletter really the right decision? To start off, look into your industry. Are other companies sending them and are they successful? Look at your business goals. Good goals that this strategy can potentially help with include increasing leads and generating better quality, more targeted leads. Assessing your resources is also crucial. Can you pull it off on your budget and time constraints? Will you have any help? Answering these questions can help you decide if an email newsletter is right for you.

DON’T: Take On Too Much

Avoid jumping into an email newsletter without a set plan in place. This includes content, frequency and a landing page to encourage subscription. You also need to schedule time into your busy workdays to create, edit and send test copies out prior to deployment.

DO: Balance Your Content

A good rule of thumb for email newsletters is to stick to mainly educational content with a few promotions thrown in. While your products and services are important, useful and relevant information is much better received than constant self promotion. In this case, less is more when it comes to talking about yourself.

DON’T: Use Vague or Misleading Subject Lines

When it comes to the headlines, get creative. A great way to encourage readers to click, opt for engaging, humourous and attention-grabbing over more vague and repetitive options. Choose something different for each email. Keep it short and sweet and let the recipient know what’s in it for them if they click.

DO: Mobile Optimize

Mobile is getting bigger by the day and Google’s recent changes can attest to that. Many individuals use their smartphones to check their email, whether it’s during a meeting, while commuting or during downtime watching television. Optimizing your email newsletter for mobile is a great way to increase your readership. Click here for more tips.

DON’T: Send Without Doing a Test Run

Sending an email newsletter out to a subscriber base without first sending out a test email within your business is a disaster waiting to happen. A test deployment lets you in on any little issues that need to be fixed, from typos to broken images and links, defunct formatting, colour and design discrepancies and more. When in doubt, test and test again!

When it comes to email newsletters, these 6 dos and don’ts will help get, and keep, your company on the right track! To learn more, check out HubSpot’s round-up of 15 fantastic examples. Do you subscribe to any email newsletters? What are your likes and dislikes?

Misfit Shine

Manufactured by Misfit Wearables, the Misfit Shine is a sleek and attractive piece of wearable technology. The size of a quarter, it can be worn as a necklace and tracks both fitness and sleep. Waterproof, it is affordable and syncs with both Android and iPhone.

Smartphone Upgrade

A great choice for the Moms who are hard to shop for, a smartphone upgrade is both kind and logical. The latest iPhone, Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy or similar model will keep her connected. To add a special touch, upload all of her favourite music and add your favourite photo of the two of you as a background photo before gifting it.

FitBit Aria Smart Scale

If your Mom is into fitness, the FitBit Aria Smart Scale can’t be beat. A great tool for weight loss and getting in shape, the scale tracks weight, BMI and more, displays stats and trends, syncs with Wi-Fi, works with FitBit trackers, recognizes up to 8 users (keeping personal info private) and more. It is beautifully built and attractive, a great addition to any bathroom or home gym.

Parrot Flower Power

The ultimate gardening gadget, the Parrot Flower Power is ideal for keeping both outdoor and indoor plants healthy. It supplies real-time updates and monitors light, temperature, water, soil and more. Accompanied by an app, an updates are sent to synced iPhone or Android phones to monitor a plants’ needs, such as for more water or food. The Parrot Flower Power is bluetooth-enabled.

Video Baby Monitor

New moms are sure to love the BabyPing Video Baby Monitor. Simple to set-up, it’s easy to use and lets Mom keep a close eye on baby from any room in her home. It boasts many great features including audio filtering, Wi-Fi connectivity to various devices including smartphones, nursery rhymes, two-way audio and more.

From a brand new smartphone, to a smart scale, upscale gardening gadget, video monitor and a sleep and fitness tracker disguised as gorgeous jewelry, there are many great tech gifts out there to make this Mother’s Day something special. What do you have planned for your mom? Let us know in the comments!

Secure Socket Layer is 100% secure. Guaranteed.

SSL certificates are supported across a wide range of browsers and your favourite, from Apple Safari to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape and more, is sure to be included.

If you’re looking to accept payments via your website, SSL is for you. It is required to meet the Payment Card Industry compliance criteria.

SSL equals higher conversion rates! Google gives websites using Secure Socket Layer a boost in the search engine rankings.

SSL encrypts information. This means that, if information ends up landing in unintended hands, it will be unreadable. Encrypted data can be read and understood only by the intended recipients.

SSL protects against phishing, which is the creation of websites for the malicious purpose of gathering others’ credit card details. These websites typically do not possess an SSL certificate, which makes them appear much less safe to visit.

These tips and benefits are just a few of the reasons why Secure Socket Layer is the way to go. A great way to protect your business online, you can contact Yabsta Digital today to find out more!

Differentiate yourself. Today, there are many bloggers trying to make it on the Web and standing out is critical to success. Great content is key to doing this. Look in a wide range of places for ideas, such as offline magazines, and remember that your audience is interested in much more than just one topic.

Optimize your posts. Blogging is great for SEO and optimized content makes it even better. Add relevant keywords to captions, descriptions and the post itself. Saving images under relevant titles also helps.

Publish for free what users would pay for. Original information that users find useful is what will bring them back to your blog.

Invest time in your headlines. An excellent title attracts attention, promises a specific benefit and, hopefully, entices the reader to click through.

A friendly tone goes a long way. Opting for a conversational instead of a corporate tone is much more engaging. Choose active over passive, use contractions and scrap the jargon and long paragraphs.

Show personality. Letting your personality shine through on your blog lets people know that there’s a person behind the posts and that’s a good thing.

Add an email list sign-up button. Email is a great way to develop a true connection with your readers and encourage the consumption of your content. Offer a benefit for signing up, such as a free downloadable eBook, and place your form in strategic locations such as on the homepage and in the sidebar.

Educate and inform. While the occasional self-promotional blog post is more than acceptable, the bulk of your content provide value for readers, answer their questions and encourage them to take action.

Invite guest bloggers. Built up your blog content by encouraging writing-inclined colleagues, industry experts and others to submit a post on an interesting topic. This offers a fresh perspective and can widen readership.

Organize your posts. Superior information architecture, which includes clear navigation, categories and tags, makes it easy for readers to quickly and easily find what they’re looking for. This is also key to a successful blog.

Have you tried any of these 10 tricks? Do you have a tip to add to our next instalment? Contact us on Facebook or Twitter!

Does this sound familiar? If so, you’ve probably entered into a project with a poorly laid out project scope. You’re not alone – 85% of projects go overtime and over budget!

Wikipedia defines Project Scope as “the work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.” Too often, we enter into a situation where the project is loosely defined and we experience the dreaded scope creep – new features are added as the project progresses and the longer the length of the project, the greater the chance there is of this happening. Scope creep increases the cost of the project, the complexity and time to completion and ultimately the profitability of the organisation.

So, what can be done to prevent it? When defining the scope, what does the project manager need to understand at the outset? How do we keep a project on track and on budget?

Requirement analysis – customers don’t always know exactly what they want and often provide vague ideas of the solution they require. As their knowledge of the project increases through the process they then have new ideas which change the original plan. It is therefore vital to have an initial understanding and education of the process and what needs to be achieved.

Involve users from the outset – don’t make assumptions about what people need. A Project Board needs to include representatives from the executive, supplier and user.

Understand the complexity of the project – has it been done before? What were the lessons learned? How can we improve next time?

Process of change control – any project will likely have changes. How we manage, document and approve them is important to keeping the project on track and on budget.

Communicate – often a project can run off track because of unclear internal and external communication, or using the wrong tools to manage the project. Clear communication at all levels is key to success.

So what should the scope include? It should contain, but not be limited to, the following:

Justification – a brief statement outlining the business need the project will address. This is the business case for the customer.

Product scope description – the unique characteristics of the products, services, and solution your project will produce. For example, in a website build, the description of the sitemap and unique functionality.

Completion criteria – how will we know the project is complete? These are the conditions that must be met in order for a project to be considered finished.

Deliverables – the objectives, or what the final result will be.

Project exclusions – statements about what the project will not accomplish or produce.

Constraints – restrictions that limit what you can achieve, how and when you can achieve it, and how much achieving it can cost.

Assumptions – statements about how you will address uncertain information as you conceive, plan, and perform your project.

Get the scope right. Work closely with the client and make an effort to truly understand and implement the right solution for them. This will give the project the best chance of being delivered on time and on budget, creating a solution that meets the expectations of all parties.

Huge Background Images

A year later, this trend has proven staying power. In 2015, we can expect to see even more use of large background images on websites for all sorts of businesses and brands. An eye-catching way to set-up your home or inner pages, it works well alongside dynamic typography. See it in action over at Google Nexus.

Mobile

As discussed here, Google is making big changes this month. Beginning April 21st, websites that aren’t mobile-optimized will be penalized in the search rankings. This is a big deal and, as such, 2015 is the year that mobile design will truly expand. Key to getting found online, a great mobile website benefits both businesses and their consumers, increasing conversions and ROI.

Increased Privacy

Websites today are more frequently being designed and developed with security in mind. Especially key for eCommerce, users are much more likely to visit and make purchases from sites that offer safe and secure forms and check-out processes. This is important to take into consideration if you’re planning on selling your services or products online.

Ghost Buttons

A trend that began in 2014, ghost buttons are more popular than ever. Clickable buttons, they are basic, flat and feature no fill – hence the name. Transparent aside from the outline and the inner text, they are typically large in size and placed prominently on the page. They are often paired with full-screen backgrounds, mobile applications and one-page sites. See it in action here.

Constantly evolving, 2015 is going to be a big year for web design. From ghost buttons to large background images, increased privacy and a focus on mobile, many of today’s trends are worth discussing. If you’re looking to start the year out with a great new design, our talented team of designers can help.

It can be scary stuff. Let’s say, for example, that you own the most popular restaurant in a place called “Anytown”. You get loads of web traffic that regularly converts to a return on investment via people finding out about you for the first time online, because you’re always the #1 result whenever someone types “Anytown restaurants” into the Google search bar. No matter how popular and highly-trafficked your site is, Google may very well demote your high ranking because it looks terrible on a smartphone or tablet.

You’ve probably experienced it before; visiting a website on your iPhone only to discover that the text is way too small to read without zooming in, and a bulk of the content is cut off on the right-hand side. Put simply, this is not an ideal user experience, and due to the ever-increasing importance of mobile search to Google’s search product, it seems like they’re now taking matters into their own hands to ensure that your site is ideally suited for those browsing on the go.

Don’t panic, because this isn’t exactly a bad thing. If trends continue, mobile will eventually become the dominant force in online search overall, and you’ll be happy that the majority of your potential customers will have a clear, easily-browsable experience when deciding whether to buy your product or service.

There are many options for making your site mobile-friendly, and the best thing to do is talk to your local creative agency to explore them. In many cases, a full site rebuild isn’t even necessary: there are several ways to upgrade yours existing site at minimal cost.

Digital-First Branding

Today, many consumers’ very first impression and experience with a brand is online. Though advertising venues such as commercials and radio are still quite popular, digital-first branding is gaining considerably. Companies are now conceiving their brand and how it works online before moving on to different channels. An innovative approach, digital marketing techniques are now often working in conjunction with, and enhancing, the traditional.

Custom Photography

In 2015, we’re going to see more professional photography that suits the needs and purpose of a website. Though there is still a time and a place for stock photos, custom images are completely unique and take the overall design of a great site to the next level. Highly personable, it’s a great way to show off your business – who you are, what you do and why you’re the best.

Hidden Navigation

Many websites (including Yabsta Global’s recent redesign!) are hiding their main menus, lending a minimalistic look to their home pages. A technique commonly used in responsive design, it is being carried over to overall site design when it was previously seen mainly in small viewports, such as smartphone screens. Clean and functional, the navigation becomes visible when the user clicks or hovers over the appropriate icon.

Bright and Bold

Vibrant design, a stunning, graphical combination of colour, environment, large typography, lighting, shadow, responsiveness and motion, is going to be a hit as the year progresses. A type of design intended to mimic the texture and experience of paper and ink, Google’s Material theme is a great example.

From vibrant design to digital-first branding, large background images and a few oldies-but-goodies, 2015 is going to be a great year online. What do you think the biggest trend will be? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!

Image Credit: design by Maher Berro, via Flickr, CC License, no changes made

1. Keep creating content! Producing regular content is key to blogging success. Fresh, interesting posts are a big reason why readers choose to check back regularly or subscribe.

2. Subscribe to, and read, top industry blogs. This is a great way to generate ideas and boost your inspiration.

3. Set a schedule. If you find that you’re falling behind, this might be just what you need. Decide to post daily or biweekly, for example. Stick to it and hold yourself accountable.

4. Increase your scope. Especially important for business blogs, it is necessary that the content reflects more than your products and services. For example, if your company offers social media management, include posts on the latest networks and how to use them.

5. Market it. Increase reach and readership by promoting your blog posts via avenues like social media. Just finished a new article? Post a link to it on your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.

6. Think outside the box. Why not turn that series you just finished into something new and exciting with video?

7. Utilize buttons. Prompt readers to subscribe via RSS or email or share posts they enjoy on Facebook and Twitter.

8. Get visual! Great images are eye catching, provide much-needed visual stimulation and also break up the text, making it simpler for readers to consume.

9. Keep a list of topics handy. Excellent for preventing burn-out, brainstorm ideas with your coworkers or friends and record them by hand or in a Word document. When the time comes to write, pull it out and pick one.

10. Write in short paragraphs and use bullet points. This is much easier to read, and less intimidating, than a page full of long paragraphs of text.

Do you have any tried-and-true blogging tips? Share them in the comments below!

Image Credit: Blogging Research Wordle by Kristina B, via Flickr, CC License, no changes made