3 Things For October 3rd, 2024
Ditch the Hotmail., Why we Prefer Open Source., Add a Thumbnail to Your Video Content.
Ditch the Hotmail!
There are two good reasons to ditch your @hotmail, @yahoo, @gmail, etc. email addresses for business: security and image. Security breaches are becoming increasingly common, and artificial intelligence is making everything move faster for the good guys and bad alike. Support at big companies is terrible and small companies like us need to do everything we can to keep ourselves safe. For example, if you advertise with Google or Facebook you can limit the access to your ad accounts by domain. My @strategy3degrees.com email addresses are cleared to do things in my accounts, @hotmail email addresses are not. This helps to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing and manipulating marketing campaigns – yes this is happening all the time. As annoying as it is, turn on two-factor authentication and use an authenticator app. It’ll help you sleep better at night. Now, to reason number two: your image. This is simple: @yourdomain email addresses are more professional, so you appear more serious and legit. Everything you do in your business, every way your business touches customers, potential customers, and the general public is marketing – and even the small things matter. It’s an easy thing to do and doesn’t cost much. You can do it yourself or you can solicit help. For everything IT and security related, we like Bunn Consulting! They are local and they are great to work with.
The Power of Open Source: Why We Prefer WordPress for Our Clients
We believe in the power of open-source software, particularly when it comes to building websites that provide our clients with full control over their digital presence. This is why we rely on platforms like WordPress, the world’s most popular open-source website software.
Client Ownership
One of the core reasons we value open-source software is the freedom it provides. Unlike proprietary systems that can limit your ability to manage or transfer your website, WordPress gives our clients full ownership. Whether they choose to manage the site themselves or continue working with us, the flexibility to modify and customize their website is entirely in their hands.
Continuous Innovation
Another reason we trust open-source platforms is the innovation they foster. WordPress, backed by a global community of developers, continually evolves with new features, security updates, and performance enhancements. This ensures that the websites we build are always up-to-date with the latest technology.
Customization and Flexibility
The flexibility of open-source software like WordPress enables us to craft unique, customized solutions for our clients. Unlike DIY platforms like Squarespace or Wix, which offer limited customization, WordPress allows us to tailor sites to meet the specific goals of each client. This adaptability makes WordPress a long-term solution, allowing businesses to grow and evolve without being constrained by the limits of a proprietary system.
We’re committed to using tools that empower our clients for the long haul. Open-source platforms like WordPress provide the freedom, flexibility, and innovation that align with our mission to deliver client-centered web solutions that are built for success.
Thumbnails & Why You Should Use Them!
Simply put, a thumbnail is the cover art to your content. Thumbnails are like ad banners for your videos.
A well designed thumbnail can capture users’ attention and encourage them to click on your content. This can result in an increased click-through rate, which is an important factor in things such as search engine optimization and social media algorithms. Not to mention, with a visual preview of the content beforehand it will enhance the user experience of your content. Thumbnails help direct the user towards content they desire and can even help them explore new ideas they have found an interest in.
So, what does a well designed thumbnail look like?
The answer is not completely black and white, but the most important parts of thumbnail design are making sure the branding stays consistent with your existing brand. We want to reinforce your brand identity, not add a new element. High quality images, especially human faces, contrasting colors of your choice and readable text are the keys to a good thumbnail. Like any marketing visual, we want to get your message across as quickly as possible and entice the viewer into watching your content. Try to find a way to use thumbnails to suggest the value or interest of your content without giving everything away. With the growing popularity of online design tools, applications such as Canva and Snappa are easy, free-to-use tools to make your own thumbnails for your content. For YouTube thumbnails, the dimensions should be 1280×720 pixels.
Outside of visuals, thumbnails can also provide a lot of help for your brand and content. Thumbnails can be indexed by search engines, which can help your content to be displayed in image search results. This can increase the visibility of your content and drive more traffic to your site or platform of choice.
Thumbnails are an important tool to your content growing. A thumbnail image that accurately represents the content of your video can lead to increased engagement and retainment, as viewers will be more likely to watch the video if they find the thumbnail appealing, ultimately growing your brand as a whole.
In many cases, thumbnails are the first interaction a user will have with your content. With the digital world rapidly innovating and changing, first impressions have never been more important. Adding another branding concept such as a thumbnail to your content kit will benefit your brand to a great extent, and I cannot wait to see what you come up with!
