Branding & Marketing Resources For Small Businesses

Branding & Marketing Resources For Small Businesses

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You can find business applications, resources, discounts, training, stock photo websites, and templates that help me survive as a business owner managing marketing and branding. I will also share any freebies I have to offer you.

Never miss out on new resources by subscribing to my monthly newsletter below.

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*Affiliate links are noted below with an asterisk. However, I recommend apps and services that I use in my own business. Any affiliate income is an added bonus that helps me continue to grow my business.

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Freebies

Below you will find my freebies that will help you improve your branding and better reach your dream clients.

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This training will help you complete the most important action item when branding your company. Walk away with a full understanding of your dream client and exactly how to attract them!

[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.0.11″][et_pb_blurb title=”Ultimate Small BIZ Branding Checklist” url=”https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WebsiteDesignAudit” url_new_window=”on” image=”https://atelierlatesha.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/free-stock-ivory-x3-scaled.jpg” _builder_version=”4.0.11″ custom_margin=”||22px|||”]

The 10 things every small business owner’s branding must have in order to attract a higher paying client. Plus, actionable takeaways that won’t add too much additional work to your already full plate.

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Design Resources

Below you will find all the design resources for both designers and non-designers. They range from desktop design applications like Adobe to using social media design resources on my phone like Mojo.

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Best Stock Photo Websites

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When browsing these royalty-free stock photo sites, be sure to check the license before using it for commercial. Licenses are often limited to personal use only. 

 

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It’s easier to pay for a membership with a smaller company where you know the stock photos aren’t overused online because they don’t come from the big guys. I have a membership with Moyo Studio, plan to get one for Eye for Ebony, and Atelier21 Co. With memberships, the libraries are streamlined, color-coded for branding purposes, and updated monthly. All of them give away freebies before you have to decide on membership.

 

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The best tip I can give when using these big guys is to buy their photo packages to save money. Image licenses can add up the more photos you need.

 

  • *Shutterstock– I buy their image packages
  • *Adobe Stock– Do the 30-day free trial to see if you like it first. This one is my favorite at the moment.
  • iStock– requires a larger budget than the others and is usually my last choice

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Sadly, it’s hard to find great stock images of minorities, especially African American people. So I curated a list of the best-paid stock photo resources for minority photos. The websites with membership are a great bargain because the images aren’t oversaturated online, and the libraries get updated monthly.

 

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Graphic Design (Non-Designers)

 

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Graphic Design (Designers)

 

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Color Palette Generator
  • Canva Color Palette Generator– lets you upload a photo and it generates a color palette based on the colors in the image
  • Coolors– generate color palettes at random or search by color to find multiple palettes that work with that color
  • Paletton– don’t let the cluttered interface discourage you. You can create gorgeous monochromatic color palettes using this tool

 

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Website Design (Designers)
  • *Wordpress
  • Shopify– build client eCommerce stores and then turn over ownership to earn commission
  • *GoDaddy– domain names, website security, hosting
  • Webflow design websites and earn a commission hosting your client’s website
  • *Divi Builder– WordPress theme builder

 

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Website Design (Non-Designers)

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Fonts

 

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Marketing & Business Resources

Below you will find some of the main marketing resources a small business owner will need covering everything from design to email marketing. This is a growing list so be sure to check back. The easiest way to keep up with new resources is to subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

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Social Media Graphics (Mobile Apps)
  • Made– Instagram stories designs
  • StoryArt– Instagram story designs. It was worth paying for the Pro account
  • Mojo– Instagram story design. I also paid for the Pro version of this app. Totally worth it!
  • Over– Instagram post and story designs
  • Canva– you can create all social media graphics

 

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Social Media Management Apps
  • Hootsuite– social media listening and management tool
  • *Tailwind– Instagram scheduling and Pinterest pinning tool

 

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Business & Client Management
  • *Quickbooks for Small Business– I got the one that included Turbo Tax because I hate doing any extra work. Get 50% off with my link.
  • *Dubsado– the most affordable client management system (CMS) for creatives, freelancers, and small business owners. I use it for my contracts, communicating with leads, invoicing and collecting payments through Stripe and Paypal, it connects directly to Quickbooks, and I can create workflows for my proposals and onboarding process. Use it for free with 3 customers to see if you like it, and then you get 20% off your first month or year with my link.
  • Asana– project management tool. I use this to track my design projects, communicate progress and assign tasks to clients, and work with contractors without having to read 72 emails.
  • Trello– a simple project organization and planning tool. I use it to plan social media content in a visual way for my clients and my own business

 

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Photo & Video editing (Mobile apps)
  • Lightroom– photo editing
  • Snapseed– easiest to use for spot editing photos
  • Videoshop– by far the easiest video editing app with the best quality. I paid for the pro version
  • Quick– GoPro video editing app (best thing ever)

 

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Email Marketing
  • *Flodesk– Great alternative to MailChimp that doesn’t cost more based on your list size. Get 50% off with my link
  • MailChimp– I’ve been using MailChimp for years, it’s still a favorite of mine and easy to use
  • Constant Contact– Pricing is similar to MailChimp, so it can add up, but it’s a great program
  • Convertkit– If you hate all the WYSIWYG email platforms, then try this. I use Flowdesk now, but I loved Convertkit for it’s segmenting and automation.

 

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Copywriting
  • *Grammarly– proofreading for grammar and spelling issues. I have the plugin added to Chrome so no matter where I’m typing on the internet, it shows me my errors. I use the free version but will upgrade when I start writing more blog content.
  • Google Keyword Planner– My clients always ask how they are supposed to come up with keywords when they don’t have a copywriter. Boom! Here you go.
  • Answer the Public– A visual keyword planner that is more fun to use than Google’s option. I use this to come up with blog content because it shows you all the questions people ask about a topic. If you pay they will show you search content by region.
  • Yoast– a WordPress plugin to make sure your blog and website pages are SEO optimized with keywords and a great readability score

 

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