Something about summer makes it a challenge to get work done.  But when your busiest season coincides with sunshine and daydreams, the work must go on.  The hard part about creative work is that it's not mechanical.  You can schedule time on your calendar to get it done, but you can't always guarantee that the creative energy will start flowing when you sit down to create.  So what do you do when you're stuck in a non-creative rut? 1. Take a Break This sounds like an oxymoron after saying that the work must go on; but often in walking away from work I'll find my best ideas.  Literally, walking.  For me walking is one thing that really allows my mind to wander.  Others may find [...]

In case you missed it, last week Instagram launched their newest addition: IGTV.  So let's catch you up. IGTV is available both on the Instagram app and as a stand-alone app. You can publish from your computer (say whaaaa?) or your mobile and it is ONLY for vertical video.  It's also for long-form content; videos can be up to an hour long.  This is completely different from the 60-second video posts and 15-second stories that Instagram has allowed in the past. So, what do we do with this? Do Use IGTV Kinda a no-brainer, but this is my first 'Do' for IGTV.  It's a great (free) opportunity, so don't disregard it.  Yes, it might be a fad (but also, it might not).  Yes, it comes with [...]

SEO, Keywords, and Macramé! What could be more fun? Our June meeting was a great balance of business education, crafty fun, and laughter with other creatives. This is one of those weighty topics that it is so easy to get overwhelmed by, so I really wanted to focus on one area that we could tackle in an evening.  We did a fairly in-depth analysis of SEO last summer, and I took a poll in the group and several people indicated that their pain points around this topic were finding and using keywords, so we focused on that. I did share with the group my free SEO for Small Business guide.  If you'd like a copy, join the 304 Collective mailing list.  It's a step by step [...]

For a platform that loves video, Instagram is not an easy place to get a video posted!  If you have a video that is under 60 seconds, Instagram is a great place to get a little more mileage and reach out of that content.  There are just a few things to know, and I’ve broken them down into three easy steps. Step 1. Get the video on your phone. This is seriously the hardest part.  Apple, I love you, but some days I hate you.  Why does airdrop not consistently work?  When it works, it’s amazing.  When it does not work…you’ll find me, in my living room, rubbing my iPhone on my computer shouting “WHY CAN’T YOU SEE EACH OTHER?!? YOU’RE RIGHT HERE!!!”  So if airdrop [...]

  So many publishers are not including amazing videos on their websites because they just don't know how.  Video is easy to use, and can be a powerful addition to any website. We're going to take you step by step through the process with some screenshots and tips for how to add video on all of the major platforms. Use a Content Delivery Network Unless you have an in-house web developer who is ready and willing to tackle hosting it on your own servers, use a content delivery network.  You're already familiar with at least one: YouTube.  Your video, and all of its data, lives there.  It doesn't eat up your bandwidth or bog down your site.  The video creator you're working with probably already uses one [...]