How to use a YouTube Channel Art Template to brand your channel
· ·

How to use a YouTube Channel Art Template to brand your channel

Do you have a problem designing your YouTube channel banner? Well, there’s a YouTube channel art template for that. Everything comes already made, but you update it to fit your brand. Keep watching to learn how to use a YouTube channel art template to brand your channel.

How to use a YouTube Channel Art Template to brand your channel

If you’re not so great at designing or want to save time creating your YouTube channel banner, then this YouTube channel art template can help. I’m gonna show you how to customize this template so that it’ll fit your brand.

Read More “How to use a YouTube Channel Art Template to brand your channel”
How to remove the background from your image to create YouTube thumbnails using Adobe Photoshop
· ·

How to remove the background from your image to create YouTube thumbnails using Adobe Photoshop

Want a simple way to change the design of your thumbnail graphics? Remove the background of your photos. Removing your background, but keeping your image is a simple solution to creating unique designs for your YouTube channel. Learn more about how to remove the background from your image to create YouTube thumbnails using Adobe Photoshop.

How to remove the background from your image to create YouTube thumbnails using Adobe Photoshop

If you’ve been paying attention to how different YouTubers design their thumbnails, then you’ll notice that cutting yourself from the background is a trend. Personally I like this trend because it gives you more options when it comes to designing your YouTube thumbnail. In this Photoshop tutorial, I’m gonna give you two ways to remove your background.

Read More “How to remove the background from your image to create YouTube thumbnails using Adobe Photoshop”
How to use a YouTube Thumbnail Template
· ·

How to use a YouTube Thumbnail Template

Are you frustrated with how your YouTube thumbnails look, but can’t hire a designer to design the thumbnails of your dream? Well, YouTube thumbnail templates are a cheap and simple design solution. You just have to update the YouTube template to fit your brand. Here’s how to use a youtube thumbnail template.

 How to use a YouTube thumbnail template

This YouTube thumbnail template I’m using comes with 4 different types of YouTube thumbnail templates. I’m going to demonstrate how to use them to fit your brand.

Read More “How to use a YouTube Thumbnail Template”
Create awesome YouTube thumbnails for your videos
·

Create awesome YouTube thumbnails for your videos

YouTube thumbnails are essential when it comes to branding your business and creating a personal brand. This YouTube thumbnail tutorial will show you how you can update your custom YouTube thumbnail so you can create awesome YouTube thumbnails for your videos.

Create awesome YouTube thumbnails for your videos

I’m going to go over how to brand your YouTube thumbnails. If you’ve been watching my videos these past few weeks, you’ll notice that I’ve been repeating over and over about how important branding is.

That’s because I want you to create recognition and authority. Now, we’re going to extend that to your YouTube thumbnails. If you’re not convinced on branding and don’t use custom thumbnails, then let me give you a fact:

Read More “Create awesome YouTube thumbnails for your videos”
Create the perfect YouTube Channel Banner
·

Create the perfect YouTube Channel Banner

YouTube should be an extension of your business, so you should brand your YouTube channel like you’re branding your business. The first step to branding your YouTube channel and creating a personal brand is to update your YouTube channel art, also known as your YouTube channel banner. Keep watching to get tips on how to create the perfect YouTube Channel Banner.

How to create the perfect YouTube Channel Banner

In this super short blog post, we’re going to talk about designing your branded YouTube channel art. This’ll be short because it shouldn’t be complicated. You just need to treat your YouTube channel like your own television show.

So we’re going to talk about what to add to your YouTube channel art and how to brand it.


YouTube should be an extension of your business, so you should brand your YouTube channel like you’re branding your business. 


The info

First, we’re going to talk about what information to include on your YouTube channel art.

Like I said earlier, treat your YouTube channel like it’s your own show. That means, make sure you include the name of your show or business, what your show is about or who it’s for, and when your show airs so that people know when the new episodes come out.

Read More “Create the perfect YouTube Channel Banner”
Should I build a personal brand
·

Should I build a personal brand

Building a brand online? Don’t have millions of dollars to waste on marketing and advertising? Personal branding might be the solution for you. Keep watching to find out how creating a personal brand can help get you more clients.

Should I build a personal brand?

Last week, I talked about how to build your brand on YouTube. Before you get started creating a profile, setting up your channel and/or creating videos, you need to make a big decision.

Are you building a personal brand or a company brand?

I’m going to help you decide. The correct answer for you is a personal brand.

Why a personal brand?

So, why am I telling you to build a personal brand? The short answer is I assume that you’re watching this video because you’re a solopreneur or small business. And if you’re one of the 2, you have limited funds for marketing. 

Read More “Should I build a personal brand”
5 ways to develop your brand voice

5 ways to develop your brand voice

When I first started my business, finding my brand voice was the hardest part of branding for me. I wasn’t used to blogging and I never used social media. I was only used to writing term papers for class or emails for business, so my writing tone was formal/professional. Here are 5 ways to develop your brand voice. These tips are how I was able to develop my brand voice.

5 ways to develop your brand voice

01 Use what you have

If you don’t know how you want to sound, don’t let that hold you back from starting. The hardest part of anything in life is just getting started. I think of everything as a work in process. You can always learn on the go.

The only thing you have to do is start. My advice to anyone who’s on YouTube, podcasting, blogging, creating content for social media, or anything that requires your voice or writing, is to be yourself. What does that mean? Talk like you talk and write as you talk. It’s that easy.

 

Be yourself

 

Why should you be yourself? As an entrepreneur, especially if you’re a service based entrepreneur, you’re going to speak to your audience or clients on Skype, Zoom, a phone call, or whatever you use to communicate with a client,  so you want them to feel like they already know you. If you’re different in person, then people might get the wrong idea.

We’re not actors. We want to be authorities on our topic. A real, authentic person who knows about their industry. Now, there are some things you can fake and that’s confidence and a positive attitude. No one is comfortable putting themselves out there, so you have to fake it until you make it.

02 Just start

Earlier I touched on getting started and how it’s the hardest part of anything. Don’t be a wallflower. Yes, it’s fun sitting in the back and observing everything around you, BUT imagine how fun it is to be part of it.

 

Take the first step

 

Never in a million years would I have thought I’d have my own business, blog, newsletter, or be active on social media. I loved reading blog posts and watching YouTube videos, and now I make them. Before I started using social media, I hated it. I only liked to use it to stalk my family, friends, and my favorite celebrities. So for me to use it daily is jaw-dropping.

Do you know how afraid I was to launch my website? To post my first Instagram post? To hit publish on my blog post? Every time I had to post something, I felt like throwing up. But guess what? Now it’s nothing to me. You have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Why am I telling you about my fears? Because every time I wrote a blog, email, or social media post, I had to use my voice. As I kept going, my voice evolved and I became more confident. I’m not going to say that I’m 100% happy with my voice, but I have come a long way from my beginning.

That’s why the start is the biggest thing you will have to overcome.

PSSST,  let me tell you a secret if you’re starting from scratch, you’re not going to have a big audience. I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s true. I have more views on my posts now than I did when I first started. You might think it’s bad news, BUT the time to experiment is when you don’t have an audience.

If you’re someone who’s followed me since that first blog post, email newsletter, and/or social media posts, THANK YOU and I APOLOGIZE! I know that my beginning work was horrible, but thank you for supporting me so far on my journey. *bow of gratitude*

 

Thank you

Read More “5 ways to develop your brand voice”

How to brand your Instagram feed

How to brand your Instagram feed

If you have an Instagram account, you know how important it is to have a great feed. It’s like the homepage of your Instagram account now. For me, Instagram was the hardest part to brand for my business especially since I always wanted to try something new. If you’ve been following since the beginning, you’ll see how much my Instagram has evolved. I’m going to tell you my secret on how to brand your Instagram feed so that you can have more time to focus on other aspects of your business.

How to brand your Instagram feed

First, I’m going to tell you about my struggles with Instagram. As a graphic designer, I thought I had to showcase my skills, so it started off as an account for my business. I was using my brand colors as overlays on my images, but I wasn’t satisfied with the overall look of my feed.

Then I started using my brand colors as backgrounds and then added pictures of myself because no one wants to buy from someone they know nothing about. Also, I started showcasing my portfolio, but those portfolio pieces didn’t fit my own business brand.

In the end, I hated the way my Instagram feed looked, so I started experimenting with photo images only. I totally went rogue because I still couldn’t find what I wanted, but it helped a lot in knowing what I liked and didn’t like. Just posting on Instagram itself helped me develop my style and voice, but having less time made me really buckle down and create a theme for my feed.

You can check out my Instagram here.

Paigon's Instagram

Voice

Like with everything in life, it took a lot of practice for me to find my voice. Just like with my blog posts, I had to reprogram myself to write in a more casual style. Basically, I try to write the way I talk to people in real life vs how I write an essay for a school or work project.

It’s hard, but I pushed myself to create an Instagram post every day, well now every weekday. If you’re having trouble finding your brand voice, just write the way you talk. You shouldn’t try to pretend to be someone else in real life anyway.

Images

Your image style should be consistent. I never had an issue with this because I Photoshop all my images to have the same style, even the photos I take of myself. When I photoshop my images, I like to brighten up my images, add contrast, and lower the saturation a little. I also like to stick to black, white, and the teal-ish color I use for my brand.

As long as you stick to a style, your theme will look professional. For example, Boryana Kolf likes to use a color theme for her feed. I love the images she chooses for her colors. If you’re not following her on Instagram, you should because she gives great Instagram tips.

 

Another way to stay consistent is by content. Jackie Kossoff is based in L.A., so she likes to use photos from L.A. in her feed. The one thing that always stands out for me in her feed is her ‘Food for Thought’ posts. They are always pictures of food and include tips on upping your social media game.

 

 

Instagram templates are the easiest way to brand your feed

I had to take like 3 weeks off from Instagram because I became too busy with client projects and my own business projects. Even though I really disliked Instagram when I first started, I fell in love with interacting with people. Who knew I would have so much fun with it?

On Wednesdays We Go Rogue

Read More “How to brand your Instagram feed”

5 tips to keep your brand consistent

5 tips to keep your brand consistent

If you’re reading this, you already have a brand or you’re ready to start thinking seriously about it. Having a brand is all about building recognition and attracting your audience. So how do you become recognizable? Simple, you just have to stay consistent. Consistency is the easiest way to get people to recognize you and keep you memorable. Here are the 5 tips to keep your brand consistent.

5 tips to keep your brand consistent

01. Writings on the wall

No matter if you’re creating YouTube videos, blogging, creating content for social media, or just a business in general, you’re going to have to use text. The first tip is to always use the same fonts. You shouldn’t have more than 3 fonts unless your business branches off and each item has its own brand.

Unless your branching out, no matter what you’re putting out into the world, use the same fonts. That means using the same fonts on your Instagram graphics, website, worksheets, workbooks, YouTube graphics, blog graphics, ads, billboards, and so on. If you keep doing this consistently, your audience should be able to recognize your business by your font.

Note: If you create content for online and print use, then you might have 4 to 6 fonts. One set for online use and another set for print. Those fonts are based on legibility.

02. Don’t be every color of the rainbow

Unless your brand colors are every color of the rainbow, use only your brand colors. Like with your fonts, use them consistently on your social media graphics, YouTube thumbnails and videos, blog graphics, website, and so on. No matter what you create, if your audience repeatedly sees your content, they should know who it is.

For example, if you create a YouTube thumbnail and you use the same colors and fonts, then your audience should automatically think, ‘Oh, so and so just released another video, I should watch it’, without even looking at the YouTube channel name.

03. Image is everything

Photo images are also a part of your brand. Make sure you create the same style of images. The best example is Instagram. You’ll notice that the best accounts create a consistent theme. Those themes can be based on mood, colors, lighting, and/or focus.

I think you can get a little more creative with Instagram, but whatever platform you’re using, if you’re using images for your brand, make sure to keep the style consistent.

Want to find out more about branding photos? Click here to read 3 types of photos you can use to brand your business. Read More “5 tips to keep your brand consistent”

5 reasons you need a rebrand

5 reasons you need a rebrand

Have you ever thought about rebranding your business? I know that I think about rebranding all the time, but I always have to hold myself back because I know I’m the type who always wants to try something new. It’s kind of like how I always have the urge to get bangs or dye my hair a different color. It seems cool at the moment, but I know it won’t fit my everyday style or mood. Instead of changing your brand on a whim, you should have a legitimate reason to rebrand. Here are the 5 reasons you need a rebrand.

5 reasons you need a rebrand

01. DIY and over it…

When you first launched your business, maybe you didn’t have the funds to invest in a graphic designer. Instead, you went the DIY route and didn’t really consider the types of people you were attracting. Any business was good business.

Now that you have a steady income and a good idea of who your target audience is. You’re not really proud of the brand you created and you’re ready to take your business to the next level. In this case, a rebrand is a great idea. With a rebrand, you’ll have a more polished brand that you and your target audience will be proud to be a part of.

02.  Not my type

Did the people you want to come to your party never show up? Basically, everyone but the people you wanted to show up are crashing the party. Well, the problem is you’re sending the wrong message with your brand. You attract what you reflect.

In this case, a rebrand will help you attract your target audience. During the rebrand, you can reassess what’s working and not working with your brand messaging.

03. Dine and dash

Are people coming to the party, but aren’t sticking around? It might be your brand. First impressions are everything and looks definitely matter. For one, you want to make sure you don’t look like spam. Another issue might be a confusing message.

Maybe you had sales in the beginning, but now their decreasing. You’ve tried changing up how you market your services and even changed your services, but nothing is working. It’s time to think about rebranding instead. Your brand may be sending the wrong message to your audience.

04. Trendsetter over here!

Is your brand outdated? When you first started, your brand was perfect for you, but now your business has evolved. Your brand doesn’t reflect what your business stands for any more or maybe you’re not feeling it anymore. Your target audience might’ve also evolved with your business.

A rebrand will help update your brand. You don’t necessarily need to change everything, but you can keep elements of your brand that are working but update everything that’s outdated. Read More “5 reasons you need a rebrand”