Filed Under Business
Real Talk: How I made it through the busiest summer of my business (and life).
Well hello there, darlings! Remember me? We used to be such dear friends before I disappeared on a totally impromptu blogging hiatus eight weeks ago. I’m back today to tell you where I’ve been – and what we’ve learned in the meantime
Pineapples + Palms
It’s summer, which means that my mind has taken up residence on a tropical island somewhere, while my body is firmly planted in front of an iMac. To celebrate the sunny skies, warm temperatures, and great excuses for cocktail sipping, today we’re taking a moment to celebrate two of our favorite trends that are currently enjoying their moment in the sun. Though they have a similar spirit, the traditions hail from opposite coasts: the pineapple has is a long standing symbol of Southern hospitality, while the Martinique print that inspires so many palm and banana-leaf versions made its debut at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel in the 1940s.
The No-Coding Method for Enabling Rich Pins in WordPress
Last month on the blog, we shared how the improvements to our Pinterest strategy increased the number of referrals we received from the platform to our website by nearly ten times in May. Part of that action plan was the enabling of Rich Pins on Pinterest. As promised, today we’re sharing a quick and easy method for preparing the posts on your Wordpress website to provide additional detail on Pinterest
What We’re Working On: Moodboard Previews
I’ve gone dark, darlings, in the last few weeks! But it’s not because we don’t love you – it’s because I’ve been dancing around my two hometowns – San Francisco and Austin – while working on a wonderful assortment of projects. Now that I’m back in the studio, we’re getting so, so excited to share these with you. In the meantime, some sneak peeks of our
Website + Email Resources | The Register
As promised, we’re starting our deep dive into the resources that Magnoliahouse runs on with an obvious target: website and email. As the core of any modern business, these workhorses are essential to maintain for your business to stay up and running
How we increased our traffic from Pinterest by 993% in one month
Ok, I’ll admit it. In the first year of my business, I completely neglected Pinterest. Based on my early experiences with the platform, I pigeonholed Pinterest into a place for only DIY projects, wedding inspiration and over-processed recipes. And while I still used the platform personally, and for a select few business tasks (especially gathering inspiration for mood boards), I totally wrote it off as a source of traffic to our blog and website
Ally Allison Events | Squarespace Website Reveal
Remember the beautiful brand behind Ally Allison Events? Today we’re excited to share with you the second phase of the project: her brand new website. As we shared earlier today, we’ve recently fallen in love with using Squarespace for our clients websites. Now, I’m thrilled to show you one of the ones we’ve so enjoyed developing this spring. Our screenshots don’t do it justice, so be sure to head over to allyallison.com to check out the site in all of its glory.
35 Projects for Your In-House Graphic Designer
Today, we’re celebrating the release of our new catalogs by taking a deeper dive into our new in-house design services. Brand styling and website design are and will continue to be the core of our business, but we’ve found that many of our clients need support after our initial projects are finished. And while most businesses have a need for the ongoing support graphic designer, hiring an in-house designer or creative department can be expensive, risky and serious overkill for the small and medium businesses we work with.
My New Normal: A Day in the Life of a Creative Business Owner
A while back, I wrote a post called “The New Rules for Working at Home” that has quickly become one of our most popular and most-pinned posts of all time. Because of the wonderful response we received from that post, I thought it might be fun to share a little peek into my daily life – specifically, how I handle the delicate balance between work and home life.
Daytona May Photography | Brand Reveal
Daytona Lamade is the photographer and creative genius behind the passionately authentic Daytona May Photography. Daytona enlisted us to craft a new brand identity that was equal parts organically ethereal and raw boho. The result? A deeply textured, rich identity including a brush watercolor logo and a custom Indian block print pattern.
An Instagram Strategy That’s Completely Authentic & Effective
Pop quiz: What’s Magnoliahouse’s favorite social media platform? Instagram, of course!
We’re completely obsessed with Instagram over here, and it boils down to two major reasons:(1) it’s gorgeous, and (2) it feels the most authentic to us, of all the major social platforms. Because there’s no way to mass schedule your posts (ahem, Twitter) and no post throttling or advertising required (ahem, Facebook), it’s possible to find real, passionate people engaged in discussions or simply gushing over something pretty, rather than a barren wasteland of scheduled and highly promotional posts
What questions should you be asking your graphic designer?
A few weeks ago, I was chatting over email with one of the amazing ladies who participated in our Authentic Brand Challenge when she asked me a fantastic question:
Right now, I’m working with a branding specialist for the first time, but I don’t feel completely comfortable entrusting my brand new company to her. We’ve been emailing back and forth a while, and so I don’t just want to dump her and run. What are some questions I should ask her that might make it easier for me to connect with her and be completely confident before moving forward?
Meyer Lemon | Inspiration
My love affair with Meyer lemons started at an early age. My momma didn’t do a lot of gardening, but she was unstoppable with her Meyer lemon trees – we always had a couple in old wine barrels on the back patio, and the master tree bursting with fruit in the front yard. While they’re referred to as a lemon, the dark yellow delicacy is actually a cross between a true lemon and an orange. It wasn’t until I became a little, ahem, older that I discovered how delicious the tangy sweet juice is in desserts, savory dishes and especially cocktails.
First Steps in Brand Styling
One of the questions we asked quite frequently is how to get started on the branding process before you’re ready to hire a designer. I absolutely love this question because a well-prepared client is a dream client for us – when you’ve discovered and developed the style that resonates with you and your ideal customers, we can embody that style in a brand that’s uniquely and authentically yours.
Should you brand your business with your own name – or make one up?
Over the last couple of months, we’ve been involved in a lot of great conversations and decisions about naming a business, and I wanted to weigh in with a few thoughts of my own. It’s a question we get asked constantly – should I use my own name for my business, or create a separate identity?
Find your signature photo style in 6 simple tips! | Guest Post by Laura James
Y’all, I am seriously so excited about our guest today on the blog. Laura James is not only an amazing designer, but she is also a talented photographer – a skill I seriously lack and covet! She’s sharing with us some ways to get stand out imagery for her brand, but if you’re just starting with styled photography, I also highly recommend her post from February about getting started for less than $20.
Ally Allison Events | Brand Reveal
I am beyond excited to share today’s brand reveal with you. The first time I got on the phone with Ally Skeer (soon to be Ally Allison!), I felt like I’d known her forever. She’s a fabulous event planner and stylist, a bride to be, and a fellow Dave Ramsey-ite – which goes a long way in my book. Ally wanted a warm, organic and refined brand based on a neutral color palette, accents of rose gold and impeccably styled elements. We’re completely smitten with the result.
Garden Party | Inspiration
Maybe it’s because Lilly for Target launched this weekend, maybe it’s this marvelous spring weather we’ve been enjoying, or maybe I’ve always been besotted, but recently it seems my obsession with floral prints has gone to a whole new level. Behold, seven beautiful botanicals I’m insanely inspired by right now. (PS. Did I mention Lilly for Target?!)
The New Rules for Working From Home
When I was starting out as a freelancer, all the advice I read about working productively from home was along the lines of “get up early, pretend you’re going to an office, stop working at 5pm and repeat.” It seems that if it was up to your garden variety business blogger, working as a freelancer from home would be just as rigid as your typical corporate job – without the benefits package, thankyouverymuch
Melissa Thorpe + Beyond the Party | Brand Reveal
Melissa Thorpe is an insanely talented, multi-passionate entrepreneur with several brands in her arsenal. When she was ready to invest in a rebrand, she knew she wanted her image to be cohesive throughout, but distinct from brand to brand.