Inspire Ideas - Page 2 of 9

Why Your Brand Needs a ‘Brand Book’

Posted on February 20, 2024 - 9:00 am by Heather DeVine

In today’s competitive business landscape, establishing a strong and consistent brand identity is crucial for success. One effective tool that can help you achieve this is a ‘Brand Book.’ If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Many brands and businesses have yet to create one. However, investing time and effort into developing a Brand Book can save you valuable resources in the long run and significantly boost your organizational efficiency.

As we enter 2024, it’s the perfect time to prioritize organization and streamline your brand.

What is a Brand Book?

A Brand Book is a document or file that concisely captures and visually presents the key characteristics of your brand. It serves as a centralized resource containing essential elements such as logos, alternative logo versions, brand icons, fonts, color palettes, taglines, and other distinctive traits specific to your brand. These resources are valuable references when creating various materials for your business, acting as a personal recipe book for maintaining brand consistency.

Why Does Your Business Need to Define Brand Guidelines?

Brand consistency is key to building a strong and recognizable brand. A Brand Book plays a vital role in achieving this.

By having one, you can ensure that all branded materials created throughout your business’s lifespan adhere to a consistent visual and tonal identity. It also facilitates collaboration with external partners, such as graphic designers and writers, by providing them with a clear framework to work from. This not only saves time but can also reduce costs. Additionally, having all the components of your brand compiled in one place fosters a shared understanding of your brand’s essence among everyone involved.

How to Make a Brand Book

If you have a professional designer working on your logo and branding, you can request a Brand Book as part of their deliverables. However, if you haven’t done so, don’t worry. Creating your own is entirely feasible, regardless of your brand’s stage of development.

The preferred format for a Brand Book is a portfolio-style packaged PDF. The length will depend on the unique characteristics of your brand. It could be as concise as a single page or extend to dozens of pages. Consider including the following brand information:

Cover
Table of Contents (for larger organizations)
Brand History
Who we are
What we do
Mission
Values
Logo and its different variations (refer to this helpful resource for guidance on what to include in your logo package)
Icon
Color palette (include swatches of each brand color along with their RGB and Hex codes)
Typography (primary and secondary fonts, including style variations like bold and italic)
Photos that encapsulate your brand (could be presented in a mood board)
Voice (tone of voice for written deliverables concerning your brand)
Taglines
Website (including address)
Social media handles, platforms used, and potentially some information on your brand’s social media strategy

By investing time and effort into creating a comprehensive Brand Book, you’ll be equipping your business with a powerful tool for maintaining brand consistency and ensuring a strong and recognizable brand presence in the market.

Looking for support as you pull in items for brand identity? Reach out to our team for support today in creating a brand book!

Canva AI Apps: All You Need for Rapid Content Creation

Posted on February 16, 2024 - 9:00 am by Heather DeVine

Canva AI - Rapid Content Creation graphic

Are you looking to have a more efficient workflow? Well, so are we! Having a one-stop shop like Canva is a lifesaver. We have all been there; there are many photos, videos, logos, and colors to work from. Canva allows you to craft the kind of professionalism that you want to see throughout your marketing. Canva saves the day again! Here is another geek-out over how great Canva is. Yeah, we are sold.

Canva has AI technology to help you get things done efficiently. Follow along and see what it has in store, and consider utilizing it or at least giving it a spin and seeing if it suits your business.

Navigate to Canva AI apps mentioned in this article by visiting Canva.com (duh), choose a Template or a Project, click into Apps (grid icon), and search for the following Apps below that may help your business.

Top 8 Canva AI Apps

1. Bulk Create

Bulk Create has its own blog post here we’ve written on previously because of how much we love it. Generate dozens of social media posts within minutes with the power of ChatGPT and Canva AI and Canva templates.

2. Text to image

Allows users to generate photos/components with just text to use on canva templates. The different filter styles create a drastically different image, cartoon styles/emo/minimalistic, and more.)

3. Magic Eraser

Operates just like the Magic Lasso tool to erase in Photoshop – This is within the image editor to help remove a distracting element. Select this tool within a template, edit the photo, and select Magic Eraser from the options.

4. Magic Edit

Replace a specific element on an image with something new. This only works on actual images, not branded material. Select your image. Right-click, set an image as the background. Click edit photo. Click Magic Edit (Beta). Select your brush size, and brush over what item you’d like to replace in the image, type what to replace the item with. Choose the AI-generated options it comes up with.

5. Magic Design

Magic Design is currently in the Beta version, but still available for use. Users can access it from the main templates search on Canva. Upload a photo and tell it a prompt for the template style you need. It will generate a list of potential templates you can use with your content. (The placement will be slightly off, you can click into the template and make adjustments on the one you choose. Like uploading a palm tree picture and saying I need a set of minimalistic templates with ocean color palettes, etc.)

6. Magic Write

This AI tool to come up with content quickly for social posts, etc. with a simple prompt.

7. Translate

Canva app, Translate your content to another language. This is a great option for quick short form writing when you need to generate items both in Spanish and English for a classroom, government agency, and more.

Chrome Extensions using Canva AI Apps

Canva Automate Maker

Similar to Bulk Create, Canva Automate Maker is great for print-on-demand products found on e-commerce sites like Amazon, Shopify, Redbubble, etc.

We hope this article helps you to get inspired and explore some of the AI capabilities that are available on Canva. Do you have a marketing project that you’d like to utilize Canva AI Apps on? Transcend Ideas would love to help you work through the strategy to figure out what would best suit the needs of your business size and audience to reach the goals of your small business. Contact our team today!

Meet Heather Devine, Principal

Posted on February 12, 2024 - 9:00 am by Heather DeVine

Meet Heather Devine, the principal and visionary behind Transcend Ideas. Heather brings over 15 years of expertise in digital media to all the clients she serves in the Jackson Hole community. She loves supporting small businesses and national and local non-profits in their goals of strategic messaging, website layouts, and marketing solutions. Heather helps propel these businesses forward with thoughtful design strategy and compelling storytelling. She shared a bit about herself in this Q and A.

Meet Heather

1. What prompted you to start Transcend Ideas and what are your hopes for the future with the company?

I started Transcend Ideas with the desire to help small businesses and nonprofits amplify their meaningful messages through marketing and branding services. I’ve worked with businesses and nonprofits now for 16 years and with every year that passes I feel pride and excitement to help them succeed.

2. What company is a dream client or what would be a dream marketing campaign to work on?

A dream client to me is one that trusts in us, willing to try new things, and is passionate and excited about their mission and vision.

3. What’s a bucket list item you’ve held off on completing for years and when do you hope to complete it?

A bucket list item of mine would be to speak on a TEDx stage. I have a real passion for connection. I think one day sharing my story will be deeply satisfying and hopefully help a young person on their path some day.

4. What small object in your house means the most to you and why?

A journal that my husband and I have together. We write in it to express our love and appreciation for one another. And another journal that at the end of each year, as a family we tape in memories we’ve collected throughout that year. We reflect on memories together and look back with love and gratitude.

5. What advice do you have for small businesses looking to amplify their messaging and brand?

Keep at it if your heart is in it.

6. What hobby or skill do you have that has influenced your career the most and how?

My greatest skill is working with people. I love listening and I also love helping.

7. Where do you go to pull inspiration for work and your personal life?

I gather information in the form of podcasts, conversations with people, movies, webinars or workshops, and books.

8. What’s your favorite life lesson you’ve ever learned and held on to?

My greatest life lesson is to “give yourself grace.” You won’t get it right all the time, in fact the misteps are when you learn the most about yourself and your journey forward. That applies to any path you walk, whether it be parenthood, marriage, friendships, business, everything.

9. What are you grateful for? What are you hopeful for?

I’m grateful for the team I have at work and at home. We are nothing without the people there to support you a long the way. Thank you to my husband, Mike and my son, Elliott and our dog, Sadie for loving me, my flaws and all. Thank you to Brennan and Rachael for making my life easier.

10. What are you proud of right now? Could be a personal accomplishment, big or small.

I’m proud of how far I have come to step into my power. I am 40 now, woo-hoo! With this new stage in my life I can honestly look back and show compassion and love to myself. I’m grateful for every day I get to wake up and live.

Want to meet with Heather and get insight on your small business or non-profit project? Reach out now to schedule a time to meet up and discuss over coffee.

Heather’s other great love is her nonprofit, People Spread Love. Give a listen to these two podcast interviews where she talk about why this community/heart-centered work is so important to her.

Nov 7, 2023
From Pain to Purpose: Heather DeVine’s Vision for People Spread Love
You Only Go Once Podcast

JH Nordic Annual Event 2024 Case Study

Posted on February 12, 2024 - 6:00 am by Heather DeVine

Transcend Ideas is proud to continue our partnership with JH Nordic. We are proud to support their mission to improve winter trails access, education, and stewardship in the Teton. The Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance Annual Free Ski, Snowshoe, and Fat Bike Day event has become a favorite tradition for families and the community to come together to celebrate winter recreation in the Tetons. We are proud to have provided the illustration and marketing for the 2024 event this year.

JH Nordic Annual Free Ski, Snowshoe, Fatbike Day at Turpin Meadow Ranch

Transcend Ideas was proud to support the goal to provide education and increase awareness and community around winter trails use in the Tetons for visitors and locals alike.

Our team generated an illustrated vintage-style poster reminiscent of skiing and days spent on winter trails from the past. This appeals emotionally to viewers of both the physical and digital marketing campaigns.
Digital graphics were created for social media as a 10 day countdown to increase excitement and engagement online. A consistent digital presence promoting attendance at the 6th Annual Free Ski, Snowshoe, and Fatbike Day supported the success of the event.

Visit the JH Nordic website to learn more about all things winter trails and grooming in the Tetons.

Learn more about how Transcend Ideas can help with strategy and marketing behind your non-profits next big community event!

Create Responsibly

Posted on January 29, 2024 - 10:30 am by Heather DeVine

The Tetons beckon all to come.

In this healing place, how do you #createresponsibly when promoting and generating content about the outdoor spaces we love while protecting them from overuse?

Responsible stewardship is the goal of all who live in the surrounding areas of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks and sharing that deep commitment with others is an idea we want to resonate.

The top 6 tips for Creating Responsible Content from recreateresponsibly.org include:

Know before you go

Connect with land managers about permit requirements, weather, and local guidelines well in advance. Permits may be required and take time to process. Check for weather and hazards prior to arrival. Consider “under-visited” locations to limit your impact.

Plan and Prepare

The outdoors can be a high risk environment with conditions that quickly change. Consider terrain & arrange adequate transporation. Know and understand drone “no fly zones.” Try to film near your vehicle(s). Bring plenty of water and safety equipment.

Build a Safe and Inclusive Outdoors

Inspire others to see themselves in that space. Historically, access to the outdoors has been inequitable – we can change that. Consider the historic inhabitants of the land. Showcase all backgrounds and abilities, embrace different meanings of “outdoors”, celebrate the many ways people connect with nature.

Respect Others

Minimize impacts to others’ outdoor experiences. Avoid blocking trails, vistas or byways. Give space to people recreating or working. Think about how your presence impacts the space, try to blend in with the landscape if possible.

Leave No Trace

Respect the land, water, wildlife, and native and local communities. Follow the seven Leave No Trace principles. Always avoid sensitive habitats, Consider the impact of disclosing specific locations, use your art to educate; showcase responsible use.

Make it Better

Inspire others to respect, care for, and desire to nurture our outdoor spaces. Depict reasonable recreation in action – and behind the scenes. Provide characters with attributes that tie work, play, or culture to the outdoors. Create behind the scenes content to celebrate your backdrop and sustainable practices.

A Few More Tips to Create Responsibly for the Greater Yellowstone Area

“Tag Responsibly Jackson Hole” geotag

The Jackson Hole geotag, created for use on Instagram, was created to prevent overpopulation on trails. Grand Teton is stunning and a treasure. It’s important to not over share trails or wildlife locations to protect the places we all love.

Accurate information

Always be sure to research information on local hikes, water and recreation areas prior to sharing information. Well-informed visitors make better decisions than those not aware of all risks with recreating in any local or national park area.

Responsible sharing

Be sure to be aware of and not violate National Park laws. In Yellowstone, be sure not to step off or past the boardwalks or into thermal pools. In both Grand Teton and Yellowstone, be sure to not fly drones inside of park boundaries.

We’ve taken the pledge to #createresponsibly and we hope you will, too! Creating content that inspires and captures the spirit of the Tetons is important and so is protecting our wild spaces. Thank you for the work you do to respect the national park spaces we call home. Contact Transcend Ideas for help on your next creative project that takes place in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park.

Get Social Media On Track With Loomly

Posted on January 4, 2024 - 11:15 am by Heather DeVine

Does the idea of creating, organizing, and scheduling content for your social media calendar leave you overwhelmed and stressed? Let us introduce you to Loomly. Loomly is a social media management platform that saves the day in organizing all the moving parts that go into creating a successful message for your clients or company.

This scheduling tool for social media connects your social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and more in one place. You can have 2 editors and up to 10 social media accounts on their base plan.

Here are our top tips for using Loomly effectively:

Know Your Audience:

Loomly is a powerhouse tool that allows you to not only schedule content on multiple days, it also allows you to filter content. You can filter content by age group, gender, and more while building a post. The more knowledge and data you gather on your intended audience and the content they want to receive – the more power you have to drill down and market content directly to them through social media with Loomly.

Have a Defined Marketing Plan:

Loomly is not a brainstorming or content-generating platform. Define and organize the goals of your social media strategy. Gather the messaging, photo stock, and call-to-action items for your social media posts before scheduling them on Loomly. This will allow for a clear and consistent message to break through. A consistent message and call-to-action prompts are what social media users want to engage with.

Follow the Recommended Tips on Loomly:

Throughout building a social media post, Loomly offers specific and helpful recommendations on the time of day, length of post, and more that are all incredibly helpful to make sure your content receives the maximum engagement possible. Be sure to check out the hashtag generator, to learn which hashtags are trending related to your topic.

Create a Schedule:

Loomly allows for multiple editors to be working on posts and drafts you can submit for approval. There are clear color indicators from a calendar view that show your post and when content has been approved and scheduled, but it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle of multiple posts. Designate a day for quality assurance to review all messaging and posts before the following week to ensure that you can fine-tune each post by platform, as needed, and all posts are ready to go live.

Being thoughtful about the messaging you deliver, timelines, and frequency are all key pieces in developing a trusted brand. Loomly is a social media management tool that we highly recommend. It is guaranteed to help your company deliver the content you want at the right time.

Learn how Transcend Ideas can help you reach your intended audience and how we can make Loomly work for you. Having a social media management tool can help to generate the most consistent messaging and posts for your business. Reach out today!

Building a Content Strategy for Social Media

Posted on December 21, 2023 - 3:30 pm by Heather DeVine

Developing a content strategy for your business’s social media can be intimidating. With a packed schedule, setting aside time for social media strategy might seem challenging. However, an intentional social media strategy is essential. It not only saves you time but also enhances the quality and value of your brand.

Let’s break down our recommended approach and keep it simple for you.

Step 1: Define Goals

Begin by aligning your social media marketing goals with your business objectives. Review your business objectives and consider how social media can help achieve these long-term goals.

Step 2: Identify Your Audience

Ask crucial questions about your target audience. Is the content tailored to their preferences? Which social media platforms are most effective in reaching them? It’s not necessary to post across all channels; find the ones that work best for your brand.

Step 3: Content Audit + Determine Content Pillars

Once you’ve defined your goals and identified your target audience, proceed with a content audit. Analyze the analytics of your past posts to find common qualities. This analysis forms the basis for determining your content pillars — the primary topics your business consistently addresses. Maintaining a focus on these pillars ensures your content remains organized, relevant, and authoritative.

Step 4: Organize & Plan Content

With these defined content pillars, you’re primed to initiate the content creation process. Kick things off by brainstorming a comprehensive list of content ideas, utilizing your content pillars as a guiding framework. This list will serve as an archive for your ideas, proving valuable when you find yourself in need of inspiration.

Simultaneously, establish a content calendar to strategically plan when your content will be published. This ensures your social media plan remains organized and consistently engages your audience. For an added layer of efficiency, contemplate integrating a social media scheduling platform into your workflow. While several options are available, at Transcend Ideas, we like Loomy!

Step 5: Analyze and Measure Performance

Dive into analytics to gauge content performance. Business profiles on social channels often have accessible analytics. Enhance insights using tools like Hootsuite or Semrush for a deeper analysis.

Step 6: Keep Churning out Content

Once a strategy is established, maintain consistency. On a monthly basis, allocate dedicated time to strategize and plan your upcoming content. Being intentional with your social media will save you time in the long run.

Feeling overwhelmed? Transcend Ideas has helped numerous brands and organizations develop social media content strategies. Let us assist you, too.

Social Media Building a Content Strategy for Social Media. "Feeling overwhelmed with social media? Let's get coffee" graphic.

Non-Profit Storytelling as a Catalyst For Change

Posted on December 12, 2023 - 5:46 pm by Heather DeVine

Non-profits ignite transformation in our communities. From championing and overcoming food insecurity and poverty to resolving inequality, protecting women’s and minority rights, to creating endless innovative solutions to help curtail these and other social problems that isolate our communities and us from each other. How does storytelling play a pivotal piece in the puzzle of social issues?

Complex problems require a lot of resources and a lot of brainpower to overcome. How is it possible to create enough of a wave of excitement to generate action from viewers or your community? How do you pierce someone emotionally to the point where they feel they have to support your brand by volunteering or donating to your cause?

Storytelling. The power of the underdog and the tale-as-old-as-time triumph of the Cinderella story is what motivates viewers to send money your way. If they connect with your brand emotionally – you could have a recurring donor long-term. If you can replicate this type of reaction on a large scale, you could have the funding to make a difference with your organization.

Here are a Few Tips for Effective Storytelling with your Non-profit

Build a community

Building a community that everyone relates to requires empathy, curiosity, research, and patience. Take the time to lean into what the true goals of your nonprofit are and find a consistent way to share this message in a way that will rally others to join your cause.

Start a Conversation

Why should people be passionate about your organization? What is the problem? Can you back up your position with statistics and numbers? These are all questions you have to approach as you look at your non-profit marketing plan. Take to social media and introduce people to the social problem your non-profit is approaching and ask them their thoughts. Conversations get people curious. Starting a conversation in an interesting and creative way is a great way to get peak engagement.

Transcend Ideas - nonprofit image of food and medicine labelled boxes

Stay Curious and Strengthen Your Non-profit Messaging

Gather the Stories and Impact of Your Organization on a Blog

Gathering resources, funding, and volunteers is no small task. A great way to maintain a consistent stream of content that reaches the public and aligns with your brand values is to create blog content. Your blog can empower viewers to stand up and take action with you. How do you write in a way that moves people? Blogging is a powerful way to bring new eyes to your website and introduce your mission consistently. Google website crawlers are constantly looking over your site for new content that can be indexed. Do you have the chops to cut through with a message that resonates?

Hit their Pain Points

Make me feel something. That’s what every internet and social media user is looking for in less than 10 seconds. How do you relate to and make someone feel involved with your mission so quickly?

Polish your Writing Tone

Find ways to use messaging in a succinct way that hits on the base instincts of self-preservation and security, creating connections, generating social change, and harnessing creativity. Utilizing these types of call-to-action messages will be most effective in getting the engagement and attention you need.

Tell the Truth

Nothing makes an impact quite like a true story. Whether it be a testimonial from someone who benefitted from your organization or a harrowing story that encourages viewers to stand up and take action. Always protect the privacy of those you receive stories from and be mindful of how to use their stories to enlist help and create an impact with your non-profits.

According to Non-profit Source, non-profits that effectively use storytelling in their fundraising efforts have a donor retention rate of 45% compared to 27% for organizations that do not focus on storytelling. Storytelling fosters a stronger emotional connection with donors and encourages them to stay committed to the cause.

Effective and powerful storytelling, additionally, brings increased donor retention, higher fundraising success, greater engagement on social media, enhanced volunteer participation, improved email response rates, building trust and transparency, humanizing the organization, and more.

Non-Profit Tech for Good Resources

Non-Profit Tech for Good is one of our favorite resources for learning about the best tools for non-profits. These help make a big difference with their webinar series. These tools and organization tips allow your non-profit message to penetrate through the distracting messages of other organizations. These same organizations are vying for the time, attention, and money of other potential donors.

Non-profit messaging appeals to the compassionate nature of our communities. Taking the time to dig deep and harness the message you want to send out to the community will come back to your nonprofit in leaps and bounds. We hope we’ve shared some ideas on how you can make some small adjustments to your nonprofit to make a big impact in attracting others to your cause.

Transcend Ideas is passionate about supporting our local non-profits. Let’s get coffee and discuss how we can promote your mission in an effective and engaging way!

The Power of QR Codes in Small Business

Posted on November 7, 2023 - 2:06 pm by Heather DeVine

Let's Get Coffee graphic with cup of coffee in QR code for Transcend Ideas

As polarizing as they were, the pandemic-era menus at restaurants deserve credit for the revival of the QR code. Before 2020, this technology was declining, but the need for contact-free options ushered in a new era of creative QR code use within marketing. As the global QR code labels market is projected to grow by an additional 5.6 percent by 2026, exceeding $1 billion, it’s clear that they’re here to stay.

Rightfully so, as it turns out QR codes are an effective marketing tool for business owners. As nearly half of the global population owns a smartphone, most of these devices now come with built-in QR code scanning capabilities, eliminating the need for external apps that used to hinder their functionality. This is a positive development for QR code implementation since they are specifically made for mobile users.

Transcend Ideas - scan QR code for menu image

Why should you use QR codes in your small business?

Connecting Print and Digital Marketing: QR codes provide a seamless link between your print materials and digital content.
- Information-Rich Design: You can pack more information into your materials without clutter, maintaining an appealing design while delivering valuable content.
- Enhanced Design Flexibility: QR codes allow for various design options while ensuring brand consistency. Allowing you to choose custom colors, and designs, and incorporate your own logo.
Targeted Calls to Action: Drive specific customer actions and direct them to relevant web links with ease, breaking through the digital noise.
Efficient Customer Navigation: QR codes facilitate streamlined processes, connecting customers to services like Wi-Fi or customer intake forms effortlessly.
User-Friendly and Cost-Effective: They are easy to implement and budget-friendly, making them accessible for businesses of all sizes.
Data Tracking: QR codes are a valuable tool for tracking customer behavior and collecting analytics data, providing insights for informed marketing strategies.

Did you say Data?

As it turns out, QR codes gather rather useful analytics for businesses through their data-tracking abilities. With services like Qr-code-generator.com by .bitly, you are privy to a CSV report that offers insight; into total QR scans, the geographic location of those scans, the device, and the time the scan was made. These data specs can help business owners pinpoint the effectiveness of marketing efforts.

QR Code Ideas?

One of the many benefits of using QR codes in your marketing strategy is the flexibility they provide, allowing you to customize a highly effective strategy for your business. Given the numerous possibilities, this may seem overwhelming. Here is a list to start as you look to implement QR Codes for your business:

Business Card: Create a QR code that links to a digital business card. This is especially useful in networking scenarios when you don’t have a physical business card on hand.
Social Media: Restaurants, for instance, can place a QR code on their menus, allowing customers to access their social media channels instantly.
Feedback: Implement a QR code on your printed materials to provide clients with a direct way to share their feedback or reviews.
Website: Guide clients directly to your website, where they can find a comprehensive overview of your business concept.
Location: Simplify the process of locating your business by linking a QR code to Google Maps or Waze for easy directions.

We hope our insights have inspired you to explore QR code marketing in your business endeavors. To begin creating your own customized QR codes, you can turn to various software providers. At Transcend Ideas, we favor Qr-code-generator.com! 😃

Does your team need help expanding the reach of your marketing campaigns and business? Let Transcend Ideas take some of the load off and help put QR codes to work for you! Schedule a time to get coffee with us at this link and let’s chat business!

Enhance Your Site Security With These Simple Steps

Posted on October 26, 2023 - 12:34 pm by Heather DeVine

Security for your business graphic Transcend Ideas

When we think of organizations that need site security we often think of big corporations like Amazon, Target, or Netflix—websites that are visited by millions of people each day and hold important user information. However, small businesses and nonprofits need to take the right steps to help keep confidential data away from hackers.

Smaller organizations also have an obligation to keep clients’ online credit card payments, social security numbers, and other personal data safe. No one wants their personal information to fall into the wrong hands. But smaller organizations sometimes struggle to protect their site because of the complexities of site security. Although you may want to hire someone to help you if online security seems too complicated for you, we thought we’d share some simple ways you can help yourself today!

With or without extra help, a “hacker-free” website is impossible. However, you can improve your website security and follow basic guidelines to deter hacking. Take a look at our guidelines to see where you’re vulnerable and how to fix it.

Create strong passwords and update them regularly

A lot of hacking-related breaches occur because of weak passwords or passwords that are rarely updated. Use a password generator to create a stronger password that is long, uses upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. This can sometimes be a pain, but it’s worth it for the extra security!

If you choose a password instead of using a password generator, don’t pick words or numbers that are predictable like your name, phone number, address, or birthday. A hacker could do a quick background check on you and find this information within minutes.

Another pro tip when it comes to passwords? Use a different password for each platform. Your bank, QuickBooks software, Amazon account, Instagram login, and business website should use completely different passwords.

If you aren’t running a business solo, remind your employees to change their passwords every three months or sooner.

Keep Your Software and Plugins Up-To-Date

This is an easy fix and doesn’t require you to be a computer whiz. Updates exist to fix vulnerabilities in the software and therefore enhance security.

When your website’s software and applications aren’t up-to-date, you leave your whole website at risk. As soon as you see a request for a software or plugin update, don’t ignore it but follow the instructions as soon as you can! Take care of it right away and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your website is more secure.

Be Cautious When Using Public Wifi

Whether you popped into a coffee shop to work remotely for a few minutes, or you’re using the public internet at an airport, use extreme caution and take preventive measures.

Verify that the network you’re connecting to is the public network. Ask someone in charge or look for signs that mention wifi.
Don’t enter or access sensitive information. Avoid anything where you need to access bank information, use a username and password, enter a social security number, etc.
Never store credit card details to any account—even if it’s the convenient thing to do!

What if you really need to do work on your computer while you’re out and about? Instead of connecting to public wifi, use your hotspot.

Now You Can Take Your Site Security to Another Level

After you’ve completed those simple steps to keep your site secure, you can take it up a notch. You can either educate yourself and implement more security measures on your own, or you can work with a professional to advise you on the latest and most effective security tools.

Want to do everything on your own but don’t know where to start? Make sure you prioritize these security measures

Install Security Socket Layer (SSL) certificates
Back-up Your Website
Use an Effective Anti-Malware Program
Implement the Right Content Management System (CMS)
Use Website Security Testing Tools

Don’t fall prey to hackers this year! Keep your website secure, your clients’ information confidential, and you’ll have more peace of mind while your business thrives.

If thinking about website security sends you into a panic, call Transcend Ideas today! Our team is happy to provide thorough security testing on your site and ensure that you and your customer’s information remain safe from hackers. Let’s get coffee and chat about your options!

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