When Kristin Chan talks about Fancy Nancy, the restaurant she has owned and operated with her husband since 2015, it’s obvious that she has a genuine passion for hospitality. Serving quality food and drinks is always at the forefront of her mind, but she worked hard to create a friendly, laid-back environment that offers a similar sensation to that of walking into a house party. Kristin wanted to fill it with regulars so that returning customers could recognize others when they walked through the doors. Basically, she wanted to create a space where she would want to hang out on her day off.

Whether your restaurant is a casual diner that serves a solid Reuben or a fine dining institution with sushi that is out of this world, you should be taking advantage of the free advertising opportunities that happen every time a customer with a social media account walks through the door. “Word of mouth is much more important marketing these days than anything else because word of mouth has a much broader reach than it ever has in the past,” said food photographer Andrew Scrivani. He would know—his Instagram has over 50,000 followers. “If I’m actively engaging user-generated content and creating a community around the marketing of my restaurant, I can’t imagine a better way to get free advertising.” A few quick tricks aren’t going to make people want to take photos of your food, but a bit of forethought will enable you to transform your restaurant into an Instagram destination and support your restaurant marketing efforts.

In many ways, the menu is the core of your restaurant’s operations: It determines what you serve, how much you profit from each item, what customers choose to eat, and whether they choose to attend your restaurant at all. “We create menus so guests can navigate them more easily and find new items that they want,” said CEO of Menu Engineers, Sean Willard. “We want them to find more than one item that they want so that they come back.”

Think about the last time you went to a party where you didn’t know anyone. How did you handle it? Perhaps you wore an outfit that is certain to garner compliments. Perhaps you really engaged when you overheard someone talking about something you’re passionate about. Or maybe you changed your tone depending on who you were talking to. To Christine Myers of Verb Garden, Inc., brand development is the same thing. Simply put, it is relationship-building. If a restaurant logo is a customer’s first impression, then the voice and the things it says are the customer’s first conversation with the brand. “My job is just helping them learn how to tell their stories to people in a clean, consistent way,” she said.

Being an artist in the 21st century isn't easy (has it ever been?). Not only do you need to be creative and master your craft, but you also need to create a strong online presence for yourself. Your website serves as a digital gallery of your work. Making it inviting, easy to explore and aesthetically pleasing will encourage people to stay and learn more. How do you make a website if you're not proficient in web design? The answer lies in choosing the right website builder—one that both simplifies the design process and supports your marketing efforts.

Floral design is an art form, but it’s also a business that relies on a steady influx of new clients. While for some that means neutralizing their website’s style or conforming to customer expectations, floral studio Moonwake Meadow charts a different path.

Ever wonder why some brands seem to hit your inbox every single day? Well, believe it or not, email marketing is still one of the most lucrative and affordable types of marketing you can use, especially if you run a retail, eCommerce and consumer goods business. These industries see an average return on investment (ROI) of $45 per dollar spent on email marketing.

While catching the attention of your crush can be achieved with a simple “bend and snap” move (hello, Legally Blonde fans), sparking the interest of potential clients isn’t always that easy. However, a well-designed law firm website can help you do just that.

So, you want to create a wedding website for your upcoming nuptials. Where should you start? Just as you’d peruse wedding magazines and blogs for dress inspiration, venue ideas and other tips, a good place to start when learning how to make a website is to get inspiration from others.

Ready to give your website a facelift? Whether you just did a brand revamp or moved your business to a new platform, a website redesign can catapult your business to new heights. Yet, if it’s not carefully orchestrated, it could also do more damage than good.

If you’ve recently created a website for your business, you’ve likely only seen a trickle of visitors. Don’t be discouraged—you’re not going to see explosive traffic numbers right away. You need to lure people in, and creating a blog is a great way to do that.

As a business owner, finally launching a website that took you weeks to get just right, then seeing no more than a handful of visits on your analytics page can be a common occurrence. Over half of small businesses receive fewer than 500 site visits per month. One of the best things you can do to drive traffic to your website is use a high-quality website builder that optimizes your page for traffic from get-go. And if you've already done that, you can use plenty of other marketing strategies to drive traffic to your website.