You have absolutely no time for superficial interactions and yet another social media platform. You just want to work on your client work and do business. However, here comes Instagram adding another feature, and not only that, everyone you know is popping up and jumping on the latest and greatest. Yes, I am referring to Instagram TV and its stories. While at this moment, Instagram is unveiling its own TV platform to rival YouTube (another social media shift), Instagram Stories is still embraced by many people, especially as the masses are still fleeing from Snapchat.
Now how does that relate to business?
Well, there are several ways in which you can use Instagram and its stories to further build your brand. In this latest video, I give a tutorial on how to use Instagram Stories for branding your business.
During this tutorial, I introduce you to all of IG’s features and how to utilize them for brand building. While it is easy to get lost in creating pretty pictures (especially as a creative). Just don’t lose focus on your underlining strategy for branding! You can wield these tools to let your potential and current clients get a better feel of the brand experience.
Still questioning how? Tune into this latest video.
Picture this. It’s yet another snowstorm, and you’re stuck in your home. It’s the ideal time to catch up on some of the movies and TV shows that your co-workers and friends have been chatting about for months. You curl up on your old reliable couch, fully equipped with your TV remote and a bag of chips. Netflix turns on, and the screen quickly becomes populated with endless thumbnails of interesting shows crossing numerous genres. However, there you are, completely focused on one particular thumbnail. It catches your eyes, and you know that that’s the one you want to watch. Yes! This is the same appeal that you need for your thumbnails on YouTube. In this video, I take you by the hand—and hopefully off the couch—to show you how to create custom YouTube channel thumbnails with Canva.
Your YouTube thumbnail will most likely be the first impression that people will get about your video. Viewers will make a quick decision on whether or not they want to watch your content based on the image that you are presenting. The thumbnail also suggests what additional videos from you, the content creator, are essentially like. This is why you need to create custom YouTube channel thumbnails.
Now, this is not the time to incorporate clickbait. Your thumbnails shouldn’t trick viewers … unless you really don’t want them to return to your channel! Instead, you should use these click-worthy images to attract viewers while familiarizing them with your brand.
If you are not a designer by trade, have no fear. In this video, I give you a tutorial on how to create a custom thumbnail using Canva, a free software. Watch, take notes, and drop comments or questions below.
Your YouTube channel is not only the home of your uniquely branded content, but it is also where you can leave traces of your brand’s essence. One place to begin introducing people to your channel is through your YouTube channel art. Through your channel art, you can showcase your channel’s mood, set expectations, and highlight the takeaways—mainly you! In this video, you’ll receive a step-by-step tutorial on how to create branded YouTube channel art with Photoshop.
Mood Setting
Tap into your brand’s color palette and douse your channel with it! Paint away and highlight the colors, fonts, and all of the elements that point to your brand. This is such a simple yet effective tactic for leaving tracing of you in people’s memory.
Great Expectations
By the time people click on over to your channel, they’re ready for a quick answer to their questions: What is this channel about? Who’s the culprit? What can I get from this? This is where your channel art should stand up and proudly answer all of the above. Let people know who’s the person behind the brand and how often they can expect to see you on camera.
Take It Away
The main thing that you want to focus on is to showcase what in the world your channel is about. Don’t leave ’em guessing. Sadly enough, most people who don’t know you will not to do the long, arduous leg work it’ll take to watch all of your videos and piece together what your channel is about.
This is also a reminder for you to share focused content that’s centered on a niche. Since you can’t be everything to everybody, your best bet for channel growth is to niche down. Your channel art is an ideal place to inform all visitors about the niche you are serving and what viewers can take away from your channel.
Come One. Come All.
You can start your branding by doing one of these things, but of course … I’m going to tell you to do them all! Now, there is a way to do just this by using sophisticated tools like Photoshop.
Before you backup and beginning fleeing, I walk you carefully through how to design your channel art in this video. To further help you, download the RAW BRANDED YouTube Channel Art Guide, so you can start styling your channel with the right specs.
You can also get Adobe Photoshop or the whole Create Cloud suite by visiting reneewalker.me/CreativeCloud (This is an affiliate link).
This video is the latest installment in a series on branding your YouTube channel in which I show you how to create branded YouTube channel art with Canva. In case you don’t know, there are several ways in which you can leave your unique mark through video. As I mentioned before, video is a solid tool for speeding up the relationship building process. This is partially due to the placement of a name with a face. The image goes beyond just what people say to really seeing your brand in action.
In addition to the video itself, there are a few ways that you can arrive in style, specifically on YouTube. As a leading video platform, YouTube is where you want to be. Aside from its popularity, YouTube allows you to incorporate your branding elements, including artwork for your channel. It’s all about leaving traces that allow you to remain memorable.
Once you land on a brand’s channel, you’ll see a banner right at the top of the channel. That’s a goldmine! It’s an immediate way for brands to highlight what they’re about and what people can expect when viewing their broadcasts.
Interested in learning just how you can showcase your brand on YouTube?
Discover how to create branded YouTube channel art in this step-by-step tutorial using Canva.
Tune in and drop your questions below. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the next video in this series.
I can’t stress enough just how effective video is for brand building. It goes beyond putting the spotlight on you to actually speeding up the relationship building process between you and your audience. Now before you jump on air, there are a couple of things you can do to showcase your brand. One of those things is to incorporate branding elements, including watermarks. On YouTube, a watermark serves as a reminder for viewers to subscribe to your channel. It’s a subtle cue to viewers in order to increase subscribers.
If you’ve been struggling with the creation of your watermark, there’s no need to stress. In this video, I use Canva.com to help you craft an ideal design. Oh, and you should note, this design can be created for freeeee! I also share my screen, so you’ll know just how to upload your watermark on your YouTube channel.
In case you’re looking to up your YouTube subscriber count, while making your brand more recognizable, this tutorial is ideal for you.
Watch and discover just how to create branded watermarks on YouTube. Chime in below.
The Lenovo Yoga and HP Spectre are two of the leading two-in-one laptops out there that are ideal for small business owners, particularly creatives. One minute you could be hammering out the details of a project on your computer, and the next minute, you could flip those nifty computers into a tablet and design something amazing as if you’re working with a paintbrush and paper. I put these two laptops to the test in my recent product review.
What Had Happened Was …
When it comes down to choosing among bigger brands, it often becomes a battle between the brand name, reputation/reviews from others, and then the product itself. Well, I found myself in this interesting position when my trusty laptop suddenly kicked the can, and I was forced to replace it. Of course, the timing was the worst, as is the time in which these things tend to happen. So, off to Best Buy I went … completely reluctant to dish out the cash that I also didn’t have available. 💸
What I Found Was …
You really need to go into the computer buying process with a completely clear vision of how you plan on using the computer, how it will fit into your lifestyle, and your budget. The thing is, after the shiny penny syndrome runs off, you’ll be left with something that really needs to meet your needs. It becomes much more than the brand itself. Interestingly, I gravitated to the bigger brands because I felt as if they were trustworthy based on their reputation. The defining factor became a combination of form, function, and affordability. 🎯
Lesson Learned …
The takeaway for all brands is to remember that besides all of the sparkling marketing that we put out there, it is essential to deliver on our brand promise (what we essentially promise consumers at the end of the day). That being said, there is still some hidden magic in wrapping our services and products in pretty little packages. Yes, the psychology is real! 🎁
Check out the video above for more details on all this and chime in below!
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