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As the end of the year fast approaches, we take a look at some of the top digital marketing trends for 2018 and how they can be further leveraged in 2019.
In an industry as fast-paced as digital marketing, it is crucial that we stay on top of trends, assess what benefits our brands can gain from them and find new ways to set our trends.
Let us know which trends you have had success with this year in the comments!  We’re always looking for ways to better ourselves, ways to set ourselves apart from the crowd - whether in our personal or professional lives. At times we get discouraged along the way because we take such a complicated approach to it, but we’re here to break it down for you in three (3) simple steps. It’s time to level up and do it the easy way! The first step is to identify the skills you need to improve on or gain. Self-assessment is always the first place to start when thinking of any kind of improvement. You can do this by answering a few simple questions:
Take a few minutes to complete our quiz to see what area you might want to focus on first. If you've already made up your mind, then let’s get into identifying some of the key skills that will give you a professional (and personal!) edge!  Communication skills are at the base of all interactions - personal and professional. Being an effective communicator entails more than just enunciating or projecting your voice well. It requires you to know how to address the different types of people you interact with, listening to what they have to say in order to craft appropriate responses. Improving your communication skills will help you improve other skills such as negotiation, problem-solving, critical thinking and interpersonal skills. All these areas are key to being an effective leader.  It doesn’t matter what role you play within your organization - strong leadership skills will always give you an edge. Some of the marks of a leader (and strong leadership skills!) are the ability to take accountability, remaining level headed under pressure, being solutions-oriented, being decisive and being able to command the respect of others. There are many benefits that come with honing your leadership skills that go beyond getting that promotion you’ve been eyeing😉 It allows you to stand up for your team or an idea, you’re better able to influence others which is quite handy in navigating the various personalities you encounter. With these new skills you will also be considered more reliable, thus getting you more responsibility within your job.  Repeat after me: "Everything is a project. Every project needs managing". That is by no means an exaggeration, especially in the world of work. With so many moving parts in each task, there are many ways things can slip through the cracks. By effectively managing a project, you minimize the possibility of this happening and allow yourself to catch it early, if it does happen so you can do damage control. The first step in effective project management is being organized. This means identifying the project at hand, breaking down the steps to complete it and delegating tasks where necessary. Here, your leadership and communication skills will come in handy in helping you manage your team. There are many online tools that can help the process flow smoothly, so a little tech know-how will be an added benefit!  It’s time to crack the code on technology! It can ether be the enemy or your greatest ally - if used right. With so many social sites out there that seem to just eat away at our time we often forget what useful tools are available at our fingertips. Many project management, accounting apps and software can help you reduce your workload in a few clicks. Being able to connect with clients via communication software, makes for better interactions and helps keep them in the loop, as you execute tasks on their behalf. These communication tools can also help you tap into a fast growing resource - virtual personal assistants, who can help you do more, in less time. So, ready to move on to the next level? Keep following!  Our Account/Production Manager, Emjae, is a self-proclaimed wordsmith who fell in love with words thanks to Dr. Seuss. She's an avid reader and a recovering screen junkie, and is fueled by coffee and sarcasm. Her work ranges from recounts of her adventures as a mom, her take on trending topics and deep pieces that she weaves from experiences and sheer imagination.  2018 is most definitely the year of the side hustle and superwoman! So many of us have jobs, side hustles, dreams of #GymLife while still maintaining an active social life and family balance. Without proper planning, it can be challenging to not end the week feeling drained. There are simple steps you can take to reclaim your time and maximise each moment to create a day that’s not only effective, but also enjoyable. 1) What do you spend time on?The best way to start the process is to figure out what you actually spend your time doing. How? Google search and iOS/Android app stores are your best friends! There are several free and paid time management tools available that will track your time based on tasks. The beauty of tracking your time is that it forces you to place a value on your time, and this will help with re-prioritizing your obligations.  2) Plan your time!Nothing beats the pull of a well-thought-out to-do list; trust me, your brain will thank you. Go ahead, start by planning for tomorrow, today; this is a great way to schedule your time, while keeping track of what you need to get done. 3) Stop procrastinating.Let’s be real, the stress of having to deal with several last-minute tasks is not worth it. Try to develop the habit of doing tasks as soon as you can; this will save you headache in the long run. Just do it! 4) Learn to say “NO” to things that you don’t want - or need - to do.Your time is precious, and you should guard it. Try to save it for the things you wholeheartedly want to do or think that are absolutely necessary. Think it through, is it worth it? If yes, the next step is to plan for it.  5) Do something just for yourself.Self-care is key! You will be more motivated to get things done if you are your best possible self. There are so many ways to get a bit of self-care into your weekly, or even daily routine. Make a list of things you like to do to relax, and work them in. 6) Don’t be afraid to ask for help.You don’t have to handle everything by yourself. There’s no shame in getting help. Delegating tasks will help you to maximise your time and preserve some energy while getting all your tasks done in a timely manner. Virtual Assistants are a great way to achieve this. You can have someone personally dedicated to your needs for a few hours per day. Think about what you could do with all that extra time. 7) Be gentle on yourself.Above all else, be gentle on yourself, acknowledge your limitations and set boundaries. At times this must be done even with the persons closest to us. The guilt we place on ourselves as women of not being able to do it all, or spend enough time with those we love can eat away at us, however, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Acknowledging that 'BALANCE' may continue to be an illusive aspect of our lives may actually be the first step in attaining it. Know that it's OK to not have it all together and realize that the journey to creating balance, is in itself an act of balance and you are already more than half way there. Don't let the pressures of life steal your joy. Reclaiming your time will be one of the best decisions your ever make!  Chauntae Hamilton Chauntae is our Digital Content Queen. She loves kids, binge watching Netflix series and if purple were a planet she would rule it. As a Chic Chick, she's constantly searching for new ways to represent @be.business.chic .
Yep, she's on Instagram! @chauniebu Self-care doesn't have be a two-week vacation or dinner at a fancy restaurant! It can be as simple as a night out with friends. Here are a few ways you can incorporate self-care into your weekly routine.   Emjae Williams Emjae is a self-proclaimed wordsmith who fell in love with words thanks to Dr. Seuss. She's an avid reader and a recovering screen junkie, and is fueled by coffee and sarcasm. Her work ranges from recounts of her adventures as a mom, her take on trending topics and deep pieces that she weaves from experiences and sheer imagination.
 How does a revolutionary app celebrate hitting a billion users? They launch a new feature, of course! On June 20, Instagram held a press conference with a number of social media personalities present to announce the launch of their new feature - IGTV. This new feature also doubles as a stand-alone app for users who wish only to enjoy the IGTV experience, though those will be very few.
IGTV differs in the way their videos are presented. Users can forget rotating their screen or tapping to go into full screen mode; the app is already programmed to feed them videos exactly the way they want it, by presenting videos vertically and in full-screen mode when the app is opened. IGTV really plays on the ‘tv’ aspect of it; users simply have to click on the icon to start watching videos, much like the ‘on’ button on a television set. Videos will be fed to users based on their usual viewing choices, but they also have the option of checking out popular videos and following channels. To date, IGTV is available to all users once they update their apps, but creators are limited to medium and large accounts. Companies can benefit by creating their own channels, allowing them more time to interact and communicate with their audience. “There’s no ads in IGTV today,” said CEO Kevin Systrom, at the launch. But advertisers can soon expect this feature to be available as Systrom admits that it is “obviously a very reasonable place [for ads] to end up.” What does this mean for other platforms? To date, Jamaicans are primarily Facebook users, but a large portion of our younger audience are Instagram users. With the 59-second time restriction lifted, companies can benefit by creating more dynamic content to further appeal to, and expand, their audience. This can eliminate the need for YouTube channels or act as a supplemental platform for long-form video content. As this feature allows users to follow a channel, creators can be sure that the users are interested in these long-form videos and know exactly how to tailor the messages based on their following.
Having seen platforms such as SnapChat lose much of their hype and others like Vine die out, creators can take confidence in the ability of Instagram to keep this new platform going. After all, in just 8 years they were able to grow their community to one billion members, with both Instagram and Facebook seeing steady growth in their revenue with the introduction of each new feature. The ease of accessibility with IGTV means users don’t have to learn how to use a new app or download a new app to their device; they can simply toggle between Instagram and IGTV with one swipe.  It’s the dawn of a new age and we’re only limited by our imagination. It’s time to create!  Emjae Williams Emjae is a self-proclaimed wordsmith who fell in love with words thanks to Dr. Seuss. She's an avid reader and a recovering screen junkie, and is fueled by coffee and sarcasm. Her work ranges from recounts of her adventures as a mom, her take on trending topics and deep pieces that she weaves from experiences and sheer imagination.
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