Here are some photography tips specifically tailored toward business leaders who use iPhones!
High-quality photography is important for every website and social media page, but what exactly makes incredible iPhone photography?
Although mastering photographic moments is something that challenges even the most experienced professionals on a day-by-day basis, business leaders only initially need a few tips to point them in the right direction.
Check out our helpful tips to improve the photos on your website and social media!
1. Keep Pictures Simple
A lot of businesses tend to overcomplicate their pictures, and this often is connected to distracting image details.
Focus on your image composition by making sure that your commercial pictures only have one subject. This means scanning backgrounds before taking a shot and making sure that there are no distracting elements that could take away from your subject matter.
2. Shoot Low Angles
Nothing screams out amateur photographer more than taking a picture at eye level or chest height. Although this is the most convenient angle for iPhone photography, it’ll inhibit your creative options.
Try thinking outside of the box in terms of your photography angles by shooting from a lower angle. This will create a unique perspective that highlights foreground details and improves your beautiful Colorado landscape pictures!
3. DIY Lighting Hacks
All of the best photographers in the world will tell you that technology doesn’t create good pictures, but good lighting does.
If you’re taking pictures outside on a sunny day, make a fist and extend your hand out in front of you. Closely examine how the sunlight hits your hand, and know that this is how your subject will be lit.
And if you’re seeing a glare through your iPhone screen while preparing your pictures, use one of your hands to provide a tiny bit of shade above your phone’s lens. Just make sure that your hand is out of the picture and that your image is focused correctly. Another good tip for this method is to snap pictures with your down-volume button, which will help you avoid needing to physically touch your phone’s screen.
4. Understanding iPhone Picture Editing
If you don’t already know how to edit iPhone pictures correctly, then it’s time to learn.
There are many awesome adjustment features found in the iPhone camera app, but all of them need to be utilized carefully. A good idea is to go past where you’d normally go with an image adjustment, and then slowly scale the edit back until it looks good.
Just be sure that your images don’t look over edited, because this is a cliché social media trend that could potentially turn off customers!
5. Turn Your Camera’s Grid On
How you arrange a subject and complementary elements within a frame will have a huge impact on your image composition. Every iPhone has a grid feature that can help you better see how symmetry and the Rule of Thirds is being used in your pictures.
This photography rule essentially means that your subject should be placed where the grid lines intersect with each other, which will create a more cohesive aesthetic that always looks great!
Date posted: August 1, 2024 | Author: Becky Kravitz | Comments Off on How To Take Better Photos For Your Website & Social Media
Several Tandem Design Lab clients have recently experienced email difficulties, so here’s how to fix these issues!
We’ve recently been hearing from some of our clients about how their email accounts are rejecting other people’s emails and kicking messages back to senders. This is an unfortunate communication mishap for any business, and we’ve tracked down these issues to new DMARC policies that require business email accounts to have appropriate SPF and DKIM records within their domain’s DNS settings.
This essentially means that your emails are being sent back due to issues on the sending side. Because many email senders aren’t currently equipped to handle the latest DMARC policies, there’s not much that Tandem Design Lab or our clients can do to stop emails being sent back or reported as spam.
But fear not, because we’ve got you covered with tips to check your own settings and help others fix their email settings as well!
How To Update Your Current Email Settings
Major email providers like Yahoo and Google have recently updated their DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) policies in order to decrease cyber threats and improve overall security, but these updates have inadvertently left a lot of businesses out in the cold with failing emails that are rejected and sent back to senders.
This means that businesses everywhere must better align their email settings with new DMARC policies, and here’s a step-by-step guide to check your current DMARC policy settings:
Step #1: Double-Check Your Existing DKIM & SPF Records
The first step of fixing your email communications is to use a DNS lookup tool to verify your domain’s current DNS records.
To see your SPF records, select TXT/SPF Lookup, and then enter your domain.
Double-checking your DKIM records is a little more complicated, because you’ll need to use your email service provider’s domain prefix to locate your record.
Step #2: Setting Up Your SPF Record
There are a few things that you’ll need to do in order to properly set up your SPF record, including:
Identify your sending IP address: This essentially means listing all of the IP addresses that work for your domain, which can include your company’s mail server and other third-party email services like SendGrid or Mailchimp.
Create your SPF record: SPF records technically are TXT records within your domain’s DNS settings. You’ll want to replace your sending IP address(es) with your email sending service’s domain.
Add your SPF record to your DNS: You’ll then want to log into your domain’s DNS control panel and look for an add a new record tab. Enter your domain as the host, and paste your new SPF string text as the value.
Step #3: Setting Up Your DKIM Record
There are also a few steps to re-establish your domain’s DKIM record, which include:
Generating a DKIM key pair: This is something that your email service provider can typically generate on your behalf, but tools like OpenDKIM can also help you generate these keys when you’re managing your own server.
Publish your public key: You’ll then want to add your DKIM key into your DNS settings.
Enable DKIM signing: This means ensuring that your email service provider or business server is fully configured to sign your outgoing emails with your private DKIM key.
Step #4: Creating a DMARC Policy
Creating a new DMARC policy includes the following:
Generating your new DMARC record: This is an important step, because it helps you to better monitor and understand how your ingoing and outgoing emails are being authenticated. This process also allows for an observation period, which means that you might not automatically affect the delivery of failing emails.
Publishing your DMARC record: Just like your DKIM and SPF records, your DMARC policy is added to your DNS settings as a TXT string.
Gradual enforcement & DMARC policy adjustments: After you’ve monitored your email setting changes for a short period of time and have seen no issues, it’s a good idea to adjust your domain’s DMARC policy to slowly but surely build more confidence in your email authentication process.
Reach Out To The Tandem Design Lab Team When You Need Help Re-Establishing Your Email Settings!
We understand how stressful it can be to learn that your customers aren’t able to email you important messages, and this is why it’s absolutely critical for businesses to adjust their current DNS settings to better coincide with the latest DMARC policies.
Tandem Design Lab is Summit County’s top web design firm, and our specialists are here to guide you through every step of this complicated process and get your emails back to normal again.
Reach out to us online or give us a call at 970-331-0079 if you have any questions or concerns about your business emails!
Date posted: July 29, 2024 | Author: Becky Kravitz | Comments Off on Client Email Communications & How To Update Your Email Security
The state of Colorado is leading the way in website accessibility. Colorado is taking the right to equal access to web content seriously by making it easier to prosecute agencies that don’t provide equal access to the information or services obtained on the internet.
The New House Bill
The Governor of Colorado signed House Bill 21-1110 into law in June of 2021. The bill gives public entities and state agencies until July 1st of 2024 to create an accessibility plan and comply with accessibility guidelines. After that date, individuals will have the right to sue in the state court for non-compliance if they believe they are being denied equal access to services and information.
Federal Compliance
Throughout the country people could file federal lawsuits if they could demonstrate that websites were not complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The language regarding websites in the ADA is lacking and leaves interpretation up to courts and judges. Enacting a state law In Colorado makes it much easier for a broader range of individuals to take specific legal action. It also makes the language very clear regarding accessibility on the internet.
Public and Private Websites
Right now this law only applies to government agencies. Any government agency that is not fully complying with accessibility standards by 2024 has the potential to face expensive repercussions.
While private business owners are not directly impacted by this bill, it sends a strong message to the general public. Accessibility is important to our citizens and lawmakers and we can expect more laws continuing to encourage websites in the private sector to comply as well.
Update Now
If you are considering a new website, or planning to update your website, it is much easier to consider accessibility now instead of after there is a new law or after you face a civil lawsuit. The industry guidelines for accessibility are called Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG 2.1. The guidelines are created by the World Wide Web Consortium or W3C. These guidelines are not specifically included any ADA language, but they are considered best practice to follow.
Include Everyone
Incorporating accessibility into your website includes everyone, making your website easier to access for a broader range of potential clients. Prepare for the future and practice inclusiveness by building accessibility into your website.
At Tandem Design we understand industry best practices and accessibility guidelines. Talk to us about making your website inclusive so you are ready for the future.
Your website is accessible and ADA compliant, but what about your PDFs? If you have any PDFs on your website they may not be fully accessible. If you are striving to make your website inclusive to people with all different kinds of abilities, you will want to ensure the PDFs are also accessible.
Some of the ways to make PDFs accessible are the same as making your website accessible. These include using high contrasts, specific fonts, and not referring to information solely by color. For example using text such as “refer to the red graph” would confuse those who may not be able to see color clearly. However, PDFs have some different attributes than websites that need special attention to make them accessible.
PDFs are unique in that while they often feature text, the files can act more like a picture. This can make it very difficult for people using assistive technology such as screen readers to access the information. There are a few steps you can take to make sure everyone can retrieve all of the information.
Using Tags
One way to offer accessibility is to make sure that tags are included when you save the file as a PDF. Many settings are already set to tag your document by default when you export a document to a PDF. You can check in the settings in your word processor, typically in advanced options, to ensure that tags are turned on when you export your document.
Alt Text
Alt text is hidden text that screen readers can use to describe graphics in words. Important images such as graphics, tables, and logos that add information to the overall document should have alt text briefly describing them. If a picture is simply decorative, you can write “decorative” in the alt text. There is no way to see if a completed document has alt text, but you can add alt texts to documents as you create them. In Microsoft Word simply right click the image and choose “edit alt text”. If you are creating in Adobe, it is a little more complicated. You will need to choose it from the preferences drop down menu in pane where you view tags.
Searchable Text
You will want to ensure that your PDF has searchable text. If text was imported as a graphic or image it will not be searchable. However, you can either use alt text to include the text in the image. You can also use a tool in Adobe Acrobat. In the tools drop down menu you can choose “recognize text.” Then click “In This File” and select “PDF Output Style Searchable Image.” Then save your document and you will now have searchable text.
Worth The Effort
If your website includes longer documents such as manuals, or even if you just included a PDF flier on your website, you should do everything you can to make it accessible. You don’t want to cut off important clients and potential clients from critical information found in PDFs. You don’t want anyone to feel like they are being excluded from the full experience of your website. It only takes a few easy steps to ensure that your PDFs are inclusive. It is worth the extra time.
The legalities of your website needing to be ADA compliant are a little bit murky, but there are definitely advantages to being ADA compliant. First, we need to start with what ADA compliant means. ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was created so that all Americans can participate in public life without discrimination. This act covers accommodations that must be made in government services, by employers, and by businesses offering a public service or retail experience.
Legal Interpretation
The ADA was passed in 1990. Clearly the landscape of online businesses and websites has changed dramatically since then. While it has been updated, the ADA still does not contain language regarding public websites. This means the legality of having an ADA compliant website is up for interpretation. However, there have been number of civil lawsuits that set the precedent for websites needing to be ADA compliant. According to an article from the Wall Street Journal, “The number of U.S. lawsuits alleging that websites, apps and digital videos were inaccessible to people with disabilities rose 64% in the first half of 2021 from a year earlier…” You can certainly avoid legal headaches and expenses if your site is ADA compliant, but there are plenty of other reasons to put in the extra effort.
Inclusive
The most obvious advantage of being ADA compliant, is that your website will be inclusive and accessible to a wider audience. People with disabilities have a right to navigate the web, and should be able to do it in a manner that works for them. ADA compliance sets the standard for us to follow.
Broader Reach
Being ADA compliant will ultimately benefit your business. Whether you offer online retail services, or your website is a means to provide information about your in-person services or brick and mortar retail site, being ADA compliant means reaching more people. Reaching more people results in more business. According to Forbes Magazine, “the global disability market is nearly $7 trillion.” Americans account for $200 billion. If you are missing this market, you are missing out on significant potential sales.
User Friendly
There is more good news! ADA compliance will not impact your user interface, or make your website any more difficult to use for clients not requiring accommodations. In fact, ADA compliance should make your site easier for everyone to use. Many of the ADA accommodations are simple such as using higher contrasts, font placement, and fillable form design. Others accommodations are a little more complicated such as media alternatives. You will want help from your web developer to ensure your website is accessible. At Tandem Design Lab we are familiar with best practices and can update your site so that it is accessible.
Making your website ADA compliant may take a little effort and expense up front, but ultimately it will give you a better quality website. You will also be contributing to a more inclusive environment.
The cache on your website browser is a little picture or memory of all of each website you have visited. Your browser uses this memory to load content faster. However, when your browser is using the cache, you may be missing updated information. The cache also takes up resources. Deleting your cache occasionally will help you see updated pages, and free up memory on your computer. When we, at Tandem Design Lab, update or create a new site, our clients will need to delete the cache to view the updates. Keep in mind deleting your cache is different than clearing your history or cookies, except in the case of Safari Mobile. Below are step by step instructions for deleting the cache in a variety of popular web browsers.
Safari
In the top menu, with Safari open, click on Safari to view the drop down menu.
On that menu, click on Preferences.
In the Preferences box, click on Advanced (the tab on the far right.)
In the bottom of the advanced box, click the box to enable show develop menu in menu bar.
Now, close the Preferences box and go back to the top menu.
Click Develop to open the drop down menu.
In the Develop menu choose Empty Caches.
Safari Mobile
Before you clear this cache, you should know that it will log you out of any websites you may be logged into. Make sure you know any relevant passwords so that you can access the websites you frequent.
From your home screen, tap Settings.
In Settings choose Safari.
Scroll down to tap on Clear History and Website Data.
A box will appear to confirm your choice.
Tap Clear History and Data to confirm.
Firefox
In the top menu choose Firefox to open the drop down menu.
Select Preferences.
In the left menu of the preferences box choose Privacy and Security.
In Cookies and Site Data click the bar that says Clear data…
Be sure the Cookies and Site Data box is unchecked and the Cached Web Content Box is checked.
Then click the box labelled Clear.
Google Chrome
In the far right of the top tab, click on the three vertical dots.
Then click more tools in the menu.
In the more tools menu, click Clear Browsing Data.
Then, uncheck Browsing History and Cookies and Site Data leaving only Cached images and files checked.
Finally, click the Clear Data bar in the bottom right corner.
Edge
On the top right corner of your browser window, there are three dots. Choose this button to select Settings and more.
When that menu opens choose Settings.
In settings, under the menu item Clear browsing data, select the button Choose what to clear.
Click on the cached data and files to select it.
Then click the clear button.
A message stating “All Clear” will indicated that the cache has been emptied.
Congratulations! You have cleared your cache. Your websites may take just a bit longer to load, but you will now see updated information. It is a good idea to make a habit of clearing your cache occasionally.
Our founder, Kristylee, was featured in Denver based magazine, Shoutout Colorado
We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristylee Gogolen and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kristylee, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Here at Tandem, we operate under the concept that “a rising tide raises all boats”. When our clients succeed, we succeed as well. And this belief influences the daily practices and the big picture decisions for our business.
Instead of creating a business model that is transactional – you pay me and I deliver a product – we believe that there should be a mutual drive for all parties to succeed. There are three ways that this belief comes into practice.
1. We create a relationship with our clients, where we care about the outcome of their business. The success of our clients is intrinsically tied to our own success.
2. Secondly, we believe that this belief adds more value to our products, because we hand tailor each product to the client’s specific needs, versus creating the same one-size-fits-all product. We won’t sell you on products you don’t need.
3. Lastly, this belief drives us to go the extra mile for each product we deliver. We put care into even the smallest details as we are personally invested in each website we build.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others? Tandem Design Lab is a technology firm – we do websites, software, external signs and digital marketing for small businesses. My husband Tracy and I run Tandem together, so we are a husband/wife team. It’s a lot of fun and we really love what we do. We both bring different elements to the table. I’m obsessed with typography and pretty coding. Tracy is great at problem solving and the making beautiful things with wood and metal.
Because technology is something that can be a daunting for many people, we really focus on customer service. We think it is important for our clients to trust us and feel comfortable with how their money is being spent. We spend extra time explaining the how and why of a client’s marketing plan or the specific features of the website so clients are confident with the decisions we make.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live and work in the mountains so I think the best places to be are in the woods. When friends visit I generally take them hiking, skiing or snowmobiling, so they can experience the beautiful place we live in.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Entrepreneurship is hard. I think my parents had a big influence on pushing me to start a business. My dad – for modeling that for me throughout my childhood, and my mom for showing me how to work hard for what I wanted and how to be a shark. She’s definitely got a little bit of a shark in her.
Summit County, Colorado does not put on much of a show for spring. The snow lingers, the ground gets mushy and wet, skiers lament the melting snow and mountain bikers long for dry ground. All that work put in enduring late snow showers and frosty nights pays off starting in June. The mountain wildflowers fed by those late, heavy snows start to spring up and show their colors. Here is what you will find if you head into the mountains now.
Wild Iris
One of the first wildflowers to make an appearance in Breckenridge are the blue flag iris. These small iris show up along streams and in mountain meadows where low spots keep the ground moist. They are stunning when they arrive, but don’t bloom long. Early summer is the best time to enjoy these wildflowers. Read more about this Colorado wildflower.
Mariposa Lily
This lily has a single white and sometimes pink bloom with three large petals and three smaller pointed petals. The stamens add bright color to the flower. This flower tends to be found in open drier areas. You can find it in open mountain meadows or areas recovering from wildfire. Look close to the ground or you will miss them. Read more about this Colorado wildflower.
Cinquefoil
There are a few types of cinquefoil found in the mountains. Shrubby cinquefoil is a larger bush common in moist areas, often clumping around streams or marshes. Red stem cinquefoil grows lower to the ground as a smaller plant. Both produce a small, five petaled, yellow flower. The flowers are not very showy, but add plenty of vibrant color to the landscape. Read more about this Colorado wildflower.
Paintbrush
There are several different kinds of paintbrush found in Breckenridge and Summit County this time of year. They vary in color including orange, white, yellow and pink. Paintbrush flowers are showy and resemble the bristles of a paintbrush dipped in bright paint. These flowers are easy to spot because of their bright color. You can find them in open areas, and wooded areas with more open understory. Read more about this type of wildflower.
Lupine
Lupine have showy clusters of blue-purple flowers that tower above the plant on long stalks. These large flower stalk are easy to spot in mountain meadows. Read more about this Colorado wildflower.
All summer long mountain meadows are full of bright showy flowers, but they often tend to dwindle as the summer gets warmer and drier. Late June and early July are some of the best times to see the wildflowers at their peak. As you set out to enjoy wildflowers in Summit County, be sure to check trail conditions. Trails can still be muddy and wet, or even have significant snow pack well after the ground has dried out at lower elevations. Also, be aware of afternoon thunderstorms and start your hike early in the morning. Carry plenty of water, snacks, and wear sunscreen. The wildflowers will be even more stunning when you are well prepared and comfortable on your hike.
Colorado offers some of the most incredible, vibrant wildflowers. Now is the perfect time to get out and enjoy them!
Social media photos are essential to attracting an audience, however they can be difficult to capture. You want to showcase your business professionally, but social media also thrives on authenticity.
How do you strike the balance between professional and real?
Use these five tips to find that balance, improve your social media photos, and capture your audience.
Avoid the Zoom
It can be tempting to zoom in on an object to get the right focus, but zooming in will minimize photo quality and can make the photo grainy. Instead, move closer! Take the time to adjust your position to get the right focus on the object. If you are taking a photo of a food plate or another still object, stand up on a chair to get a top down angle.
Use the Rule of Thirds
You don’t always want your focal point exactly in the middle, this can become boring for viewers. Instead, photographers follow the rule of thirds. Entrepreneur points out that you can enable a grid on your camera in your phone’s settings. Use the grid to place your focal point at one of the intersections of the lines. The rule of thirds helps create a visually interesting picture that feels balanced.
Edit your Photos
Most phones these days have the ability to do some basic photo editing. Take advantage of these tools to brighten up dark photos, crop out the extra space or even apply a filter or two. Just a few seconds of editing can make a big difference in how the photo is perceived.
Eliminate Clutter
Remove unnecessary items from the photo. Look for dangling wires, extra items on the table or anything that will take aware of the focal point. Too many objects in a photo make it difficult for your followers to zero in on what you want them to see. They are likely to scroll past a picture that is too hard to look at. Take out the items you don’t need and feature one or two things in your photo. If your picture is of people, crop it so that unnecessary details don’t distract from the focal point. The simpler a picture is, the easier it is for a follower to quickly capture its meaning before moving on.
Enlist Others
Not all business owners are photographers. However, pictures are some of the best ways to engage your audience. If you don’t like taking pictures, encourage your audience to take photos and share them. Ask your followers to share pictures of themselves or friends enjoying your product or service. If you have products to feature, it may be worth the investment to have professional photos taken. A professional photographer can display your products in their best light, making them more desirable for your potential clients.
Your social media photos don’t have to be perfect. Followers value authenticity. They do need to be interesting. Followers only give you a few seconds when they decide whether or not they will engage with your photo. These five tips can help your photos get more attention and result in more clients.
Is your website bringing in enough leads? If not, poor usability may be the culprit. Website usability is the way your content is organized, and how it funnels users to conversion. Here’s a few questions to ask yourself:
Is your contact info easy to find?
Does it feel cluttered or disorganized?
Where does a user click to be converted into a lead?
A usable website leads to more income. When your potential clients feel comfortable browsing your website, they are more likely to stick around and find what they are looking for. When they feel satisfied and happy with what they have seen, they will take the time to make the purchase, fill out the contact form, or schedule an appointment. No matter your industry, when a person moves from browsing to interacting, you have created a new client. People will not spend time trying to navigate an unorganized and inhospitable website, even if you are the best at what you do.
Your Website Goals
The first thing you can do to improve your website’s usability is to decide what you want your client to do on your website. Will they buy a product? Make an appointment? Find information about hours or availability? Read an article or click a particular link?
Next you can decide how you will move your client to follow through with the desired action. Consider how you will catch their attention and how you will make it easy for them to follow through on the desired action.
Moving to Action
Once you have decided the goal, you want to move the user to action quickly, but not too aggressively. Most users on the internet are not likely to hang around a website for a very long time. Neilson Norman Group points out that the longer a person stays on the site, the longer they are likely to continue on that site. According to their data analysis, you have about 10 seconds to grab their attention. If they decide to stay after that 10 seconds, they are giving you a chance and may follow through with an action. Eye-catching design, clear information, and easy navigation, are all elements that will work together to help a potential client linger on your website.
Two things that will drive clients away are too much content or disorganized content on the landing page or being bombarded with calls to action. Too much content leaves the client feeling overwhelmed. If they do not know where to click to find the information they want, they will simply leave. Too many popups or demands to sign-up for accounts or register, before the client has become familiar with your business can be a turn-off causing your client to move on as well.
Thoughtful Design
In addition to making your site inviting, it needs to be intuitive. There are specific standards of practice in design that people always look for on a website. Small details like placement of links, menus, forms, and search bars, all add up to a friendly and inviting user experience. For example, users tend to look in the top right or the footer for contact information. Why make users work for your call-to-actions?
This is especially true when you consider mobile devices. According to Statista, mobile devices account for half of all website traffic. You don’t want to miss out on half of your potential clients because your website isn’t mobile friendly.
Work With A Professional Web Designer in Breckenridge CO
An experienced website designer will know how to arrange your website and feature your work so that clicks on your site become clients for your business. Call Tandem Design Lab today to find out how working with a professional web designer in Breckenridge can transform your website, and ultimately your business.
When discussing marketing with a client, one of the first questions I ask is “How’s your social media going?” This is usually met with a long awkward pause. Most know that they should be on social media, but are unsure of how to utilize social to get leads or just don’t have the time to dedicate to it.
We think it should be easy. Aren’t we all on social media every day? But unfortunately, social media marketing for small businesses and the scrolling through photos we do while watching TV are two very different things.
Social media is a powerful tool when used correctly. It will keep you top of mind with customers, gain new leads, and communicate with your regular community. If you aren’t getting leads from social, most likely you are not using it correctly. Here’s a few reasons why you need a social media manager to handle your business’s social media marketing.
Consistent Posting Schedule and a Full Content Calendar
A common mistake I see small businesses make on social media is inconsistent posting. You get fired up and post off a bunch of posts in one day and then…nothing for weeks. Keeping the content flowing is no easy task, but it is an important part of working the algorithm so your posts are visible and have good reach.
Professional Graphics
Another common mistake I see on social media is posting low quality graphics on a business account. Nothing stops the scroll like a pretty photo, especially on photo-centric platforms like Instagram. Posting low quality photos, grainy graphics or just photos that miss the message will cause your images to be ignored, and cause you to be ignored by the algorithm.
Secondly, your graphics should be consistently branded. They should have your logo, your colors and your fonts. While all graphics should be unique, they should have a consistent feel so they look like your branding. Not only will this reinforce your message, but professional branding presents the message of quality and stability which are key elements in any business.
Timely responses to communications.
Because users spend so much time on social, they tend to have very short attention spans and therefore expect quick answers. Even waiting a few hours can result in a missed sale. A social media manager will act as your voice, answering questions they are able to, commenting on posts and forwarding over anything they think only you can answer. This will untether you from the social media accounts and allow you to get back to doing what you love to do.
Keep up with Trends
Changes to the algorithm, emerging hashtags, viral memes – the landscape of social media is never stationary. Whether you are capitalizing on a trending topic, or adjusting to a new rule – you need to be agile. A social media manager will stay on top of the trends and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Save time to run your business.
Keeping up with all the different social media platforms can feel like a full-time job. From developing a content calendar, creating the graphics, to analyzing the best times to post and executing, a lot of time and effort goes into executing a successful social media marketing plan. And don’t forget about the social engagement. To be successful, you must be social yourself. You must be be commenting on other followers, responding to comments and finding new followers. If your time is better spent doing the parts of the business you are good at, a social media manager is a great addition to your team.
What We Can Do for You.
If you have come to the realization that your social media marketing plan might need more than you can offer, look no further. Here’s what we can do for you.
First, we will optimize your profiles for the best presentation and ROI, checking each account for accuracy. If necessary, we will create custom header graphics to fit each social media platform.
Secondly, we will create content for you each week, with custom branded graphics. We will analyze the reports to discover the best times of day and days of week to post. We will schedule your content to be posted at the appropriate times.
Lastly, we will log in each day and participate in social engagement. We will seek out new followers, answer messages or comments, and socialize with the community around us. We will be your voice, your presence on these platforms.
Here at Tandem, we believe that quality is evident in the finer details. We sweat the small stuff. And choosing a font for your website, while it may seem minor, is an important part of branding. Every font has a personality and you need to find the right font for your message.
When choosing a font, it’s important to understand how fonts differ and what messages the different types generally portray. To start, there are two broad categories that encompass all fonts: serif fonts and sans-serif fonts. All fonts are divided by the presence or lack-there-of of a serif, the small flag or lines that cap a larger line on a letter. See the graphic to the right to get an idea.
Fonts with a serif tend to be perceived as more formal, traditional or elegant. They can also be perceived as more stable and long-lasting.
Sans-serif fonts, or fonts without serifs, are perceived as friendly, modern, and easy-going. They can have open, rounded letters or be narrow and thin, but in general they are much more approachable. They can also represent clarity, simplicity and a cutting away of all the fluff.
Within these two categories, there are a few notable subcategories.
Slab Serif
Slab serif fonts are a modern take on the traditional serif font. It includes rounded modern lettering, with straight, no-flair, serifs. These are quite popular these days, so you are likely to recognize them. They are modern and fun, without being overly casual.
Script or Handwriting Font
Script fonts, or fonts made to look like handwriting, are also quite popular. They are ultra casual and chock full of personality. In general, they should be used sparingly, as they can overpower a more subtle brand and be difficult to read.
Block Caps
Some fonts have only capital letters. This can send a bold, and firm message, so should also be used as accents only. Body text in app caps is generally perceived as overly forceful or the digital version of yelling.
Decorative
Decorative fonts are fonts that have artistic flourish. They may have shadows, be large and blocky, be a calligraphy style, or contain extra small elements like snowflakes, stars etc. The possibilities are endless. Because of their artistic nature, decorative fonts display creativity, uniqueness and fun. In general, they work well for word marks, logos or a short title. They should not be used for long strings of text.
Within all these categories, there are many variances, or areas to infuse your message. Your lettering can be short or tall. It can be thick stroked, or thin and light. It can be round, square or narrow. All of these styles give subtle messages.
2. Shoot Low Angles
How To Update Your Current Email Settings
Social media photos are essential to attracting an audience, however they can be difficult to capture. You want to showcase your business professionally, but social media also thrives on authenticity.
Your social media photos don’t have to be perfect. Followers value authenticity. They do need to be interesting. Followers only give you a few seconds when they decide whether or not they will engage with your photo. These five tips can help your photos get more attention and result in more clients.
When choosing a font, it’s important to understand how fonts differ and what messages the different types generally portray. To start, there are two broad categories that encompass all fonts: serif fonts and sans-serif fonts. All fonts are divided by the presence or lack-there-of of a serif, the small flag or lines that cap a larger line on a letter. See the graphic to the right to get an idea.
