As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about your business plans for the year to come and this includes setting up budgets. When determining how much to set aside for marketing; knowing your goals is very important.

Business is about relationships - and gift giving is about nurturing those relationships. Thoughtful gifts not only say ‘thank you’ but tell your clients and employees you value them - that they mean more than dollar signs or cogs in the wheel. So, to help inspire some thoughtful gift buying this season, we’ve pulled together a few ideas we hope will resonate with your values and the message you want your gift to send.

You don’t have to be a writer to know that every good story has a hero. Marketing content is no different. But many businesses—and this may include yours—are confused about who plays the hero in their story meaning their marketing lacks the ability to resonate with its audience. When you make yourself the hero, your story—and your product—never sells as well. And here’s why…

As we get closer to the holiday season, it’s important for all of us to prioritize time off. But if you’re questioning whether it’s okay to take a few days off, perhaps, like me, you need to remind yourself why you set up as a freelancer.

In a tech-filled world, pen and paper seem almost anachronistic. But writing by hand goes beyond being a “quirky creative”. It allows the brain to move freely and creatively through the words, and research shows writing by hand hacks into brain areas that are inaccessible when you punch letters on a keyboard. So, if you want to boost your creative writing, grab your pen and notebook.

I’ve worked from home for more than a decade--since long before many of my clients packed up their desks and started living the #wfh life due to COVID-19. While I continue to love the flexibility and time savings that come with working from home, I’m eager break free from these four walls and get back to some in-person time with clients and members of my team.

I’ve invited Hannah McCormick, owner of HM Virtual Assistance and Lyons Creative’s amazing admin to share her advice for new online businesses. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive compared to building a brick and mortar business. A new onlinepreneur can choose from an endless assortment of tools and systems to support them - but, with options at every price point, it’s hard not to fall in love with every “shiny object.”

For most companies doing email marketing, gone are the days of “batch and blast” broadcast campaigns. And that’s a good thing—according to Experian, personalized marketing emails receive 29% higher open rates and 41% higher click-through rates. Right now, let’s talk B2B marketing and the move toward account-based marketing (ABM). What is ABM? Glad you asked.

Naming is one of the most challenging (and most rewarding) parts of any rebranding project, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. When you’re thinking about completely changing your name, there are so many factors to consider and stakeholders to please.

Marketing isn’t always a solo activity—in fact, today’s marketing industry is full of teams of individual contributors working together to provide great services from across the room, across the country, and across the world. With the advent of apps like Slack and Zoom, it’s easier than ever to communicate with teammates as you collaborate on projects. So, what happens when you have more projects and more tasks than you can keep straight? If you’re anything like the Lyons Creative team, you turn to Asana.

Small business owners and freelancers are familiar with working in isolation. It’s just what we do. But in the past year, this isolation has been magnified tenfold. For safety’s sake, our social circles are small, making it ever more challenging to find a balance between work and play or a bit of camaraderie.

There’s a new social media platform buzzing around the Internet right now called Clubhouse. And don’t worry, you won’t be catching any Gen Z-ers dancing around empty parking lots with this one. In fact, this new platform is reinventing the wheel for businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers with a unique way to network, learn, and grow, virtually.