5 Simple Marketing & Design Hacks to Try When You’re in a Bind

Every professional has their tricks of the trade.

You know, the quick fixes they use to be more efficient, more productive, and get the job done under a tight deadline. In the digital world, we call these hacks.

Well, with the month coming to a close, I know many of you could use a few hacks to help make your work day a bit easier. Whether you’re hustling to hit your metrics, get those final design projects wrapped, or to start planning for the next the one, rest assured -- we’ve got your back!

Check out and try one these 5 simple design and marketing hacks to end your month on a high-note!

For Content: Find Blog Topics On Twitter

When I'm out of ideas on what to write about, I turn to Twitter because of how timely the platform is. People are constantly updating their feeds with new stuff and it’s easy to see what’s the current “hot topic.” If I get stuck, I can quickly scroll through and look at questions that have been posted or articles that have been shared. I especially look for things that I see repeated over and over again. If something is being shared repeatedly or getting a lot of engagement, that's usually a good indication of something worth writing about.  - Amanda Leclair, Client Resource Manager

For Reach/Traffic: Publish to LinkedIn Pulse

“One great hack to leverage when you're looking to boost traffic at the end of the month is publishing to LinkedIn Pulse. Try publishing an excerpt of an older, high-performing article to the platform, with a “continue reading” link that goes back to your blog. All of your connections will get a notification about your new post and it will be searchable by anyone on the network. It’s a smart way to drive traffic back to your website at the end of the month and expand your reach.” - Ramona Sukhraj, Content Marketing Manager

For Traffic: Link Wherever You Can

This may seem like a minor detail, but never underestimate the power of including a link. Whether it’s to your homepage, an offer, your blog, or a contact page, if you have the option to include subtle hyperlink or post a URL back to your website, do it.

You’d be surprised how many people will click purely out of curiosity and then find themselves engaged (and maybe even converting). Try one of these locations you may have never considered:

• Your Email Signature

• Your Twitter Bio

• Facebook Comments

• YouTube Video Descriptions

• Reddit Discussions

When doing this, however, remember: don’t be spammy and think about the audience that will see your link. If you have a page that is relevant, can actually offer real value to those who will see it, or add to a conversation, feel free to share. It can be a really small, but effective traffic hack. - Carolyn Edgecomb, Community Coordinator

For Design: Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

“Learning keyboard shortcuts drastically cuts down on design time. Instead of hunting through menus for the right tool or endless dropdowns for the effect that you need, you can hit 2 or 3 buttons and you’re good to go. It’s a vital way to increase efficiency.” - Donny Wilson, Creative Lead

For Organization: Use Bookmarking Software

“One hack designers and Marketers can take advantage of is bookmarking software. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stumbled upon a color palette I liked or a site I wanted to use for inspiration and said to myself “I’ll have to remember this for later.” Sure enough, when later comes I can’t even begin to guess where I saw those things.

GetPocket is a great bookmarking software I frequently use to keep organized. It lets you save videos, pictures, websites, and pretty much anything else you can think of so you can view it at a later time.” - Joe Rinaldi, Creative Supervisor

What’s Your Go-To Hack?

What does you or your teammates do when you’re under a time crunch? What tips, tricks, and hacks do you turn to? Share them in the comments section!