Heather Hulbert Designs

As of today, 1st February 2024, changes coming into effect by Google and Yahoo means you will need to have a verified, secure domain-based email to send bulk emails to your audience.

This means no more being able to use your @ gmail, @ hotmail, @ yahoo etc email accounts, which a lot of small businesses often start out with. And why wouldn’t you, it’s free after all!

But if you want to avoid being marked as spam, or even worse, permanently blocked, then you need to: A - get a domain-based email for your business, and B - make sure it's got the correct authentication settings set up, in the form of SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.

☀️ And no, I'm not talking about adding sunscreen to your emails! 😂

But seriously, if you have no idea what I'm actually talking about, now's the time to sit up and pay attention.

I've written a blog (🔗 in bio) with more information about the changes.

But if the tech side of your business scares the bejesus out of you, DON'T PANIC!

⭐ I've got a new Done-For-You offer out, to get your domains and emails verified so you can continue to safely send emails and newsletters out to your audience and have it land in their inboxes.

⭐ I'll also set you up with Google Postmaster to monitor your spam rating and audit your unsubscribe process and welcome series with suggested ways you could improve it.

All for only £75!

👇 Want to know more? Drop a comment below! 🙂

🤔 Do you struggle when it comes to creating your social media content for your business?

🤔 Do you want to create content that's relevant to business but also what's going on in the world?

🤔 Do you struggle to remember when the awareness days are for your industry and always miss the boat with posting?

💡 Then you need my Awareness days planner!

Over 1000 dates collated and organised for you into months/weeks/days, so you can plan out your years worth of relevant content with ease.

For example, Today is National Draw a Dinosaur Day! 🦖🦕

That might not be very relevant but sometimes we just need a little bit of a laugh don't we 😂

Get yours today from my website as an ebook or Amazon for a printed copy (🔗 in bio)

Or comment "planner" below and I'll send you the links straight to your DMs!

Happy New Year! (It's still OK to say that 9 days in right?!)

Now the festivities are a distant memory and the wrapping paper's all been cleared away, for many businesses focus is back on 2024 and how they can grow.

⭐ Have you got a brand new To Do list of things you're looking to change this year?

⭐ Is your website looking a bit tired and in need of a fresh new look for the new year?

⭐ Do you cringe every time you share your website link?

Then I've got the perfect offer for you!

I've been busy reworking my packages over Christmas and as a result, prices will be changing, and yes, increasing - we've all felt the pinch this year with the cost of living, and bills need to be paid and food put on the table.

If you've been on the fence about taking the next step to uplevel your online presence, or you want to transform your DIY website into a professional custom-designed and fully built WordPress website, you can secure your website redesign at 2023 prices, until this Sunday with a 20% deposit.

We don't even need to get working on it immediately - if you need a month or two to get yourself sorted with content/images etc, I can book your space in my diary, but still honour the 2023 prices, as long a deposit has been paid and contract signed.

I'm more than happy (and encourage you) to have a quick call with me this week to answer any questions first. Just drop me a DM or comment below!

The offer goes away at midnight on Sunday night.

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Hi, I'm Heather, and I'm a multi-award winning Wordpress Website designer, helping businesses to level up and reach their goals with more ease and authenticity. I help to take the stress out of the tech in your business, so you can focus on doing what you love and do best - serving your clients. DM today for more info.

👋 Hey you gorgeous lot!

It's been a while since I introduced myself, so just wanted to pop by and say "hey!", and remind you all about what I do and how I can help you.

I'm Heather, and I'm a branding and website designer. I help female entrepreneurs put the sparkle back into their business, helping them to show up more confidently with branding that makes them smile, and really represents who they are, what they stand for, and their mission for the future, which in turn helps them to attract more of their dream clients.

I design and build Wordpress websites to fully showcase your products or services, making sure your user experience is flawless, so your clients and customers will return again and again.

I started 20+ years ago in Graphic design with printed media and 11 years ago switched to digital website design and email marketing.

🏆 Last year I won the Website Designer of the Year at the Digital Women Awards 2022 (yes I'm still going on about that 😂), and next year I'm up for it again, as well as UX designer of the year - can I retain my crown? 👑 All this just shows you're in the best pair of hands with me to help your business grow. With my years of experience behind me, and my creative flare, you're onto a winner!

Back in 2018 I had my twin boys who are crazy, funny, hectic, and my whole world. After maternity leave ended I took redundancy from my previous job and decided to start freelancing instead, so that I could be around for the boys when they needed me. And so 'Heather Hulbert Designs' was born!

5 Fun Facts about me:

💜 I'm a massive cat lover (and have a fur-baby called Willow 😻)
💜 I'm a big font geek (you won't be seeing any Comic Sans here!)
💜 I love going out for Afternoon Tea
💜 I'm attuned in kundalini reiki and have been on a spiritual journey over the last couple of years
💜 I hate egg custard tarts with a passion! 🤢

Tell me a fun fact about yourself in the comments!

📷 credit:

5 Benefits of Blogging for Your Business 📝

Creating blogs can be a fantastic way of sharing your knowledge and expertise with your audience, and warming up potential new clients, showing you are the go-to person in your industry. Here are 5 ways blogging can help your business grow:

1️⃣ It shows your expertise

2️⃣ It helps your audience trust you

3️⃣ It helps your website build SEO juice

4️⃣ It helps yo attract new clients into your world

5️⃣ It helps to build your brand recognition

Want to learn more about blogging? My friend .shine is hosting her annual FREE 4 day workshop “Get Seen & Get Sales” - starting Monday 25th September.

I first did this challenge 2 years ago, and loved her style of teaching. It's easy to digest, you won't need to spend hours every day (literally 30 mins for the workshop and 30 minutes to complete the daily task - you can do it in your lunch break!), and it WILL help you to move the needle forward in creating content and blogs to help drive more traffic to your business.

Want to know more? Join the challenge now, I'll be there! -
🔗 https://heatherhulbert.co.uk/GetSeenGetSales

It's only a couple more weeks now until the Digital Women Awards 2023, where I'll be up in London with my fellow nominees having a glass or two of bubbles no doubt!

This year I'm up for Web Designer of the Year again, and also UX Designer of the Year. Can I retain my title of Website Designer of the Year? Who knows, there are some amazing women in the category and I'm just proud to stand among them.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on the result, for now, wish me luck!

What have you got going on at the moment, I'd love to know :) Drop a comment below and share your recent wins.

🎅🌲 It's only 100 days til Christmas guys!! Have you started thinking about the big day yet? Started making your lists? Checking them twice...🎶

These planners make the whole process a breeze!

Stay stress-free throughout the next 100 days and enjoy every minute of the festivities!

Get yours at the link in my bio!

⭐🌟 TESTIMONIAL TUESDAY 🌟⭐

"Heather is knowledgeable, friendly and super helpful! I went to Heather for a website audit. I designed my own website years ago and as a busy business owner, renewing and updating my website keeps falling to the bottom of my to-do list! The website audit service was the perfect solution! We had an initial call which enabled me to understand more about Heather's process and what she needed for the audit. 2 weeks later I had a follow-up call supported by in-depth notes about what works well and areas for improvement. This made it much easier for me to take action and helped me feel more motivated to make the changes as I had clear guidelines. Heather is so approachable and friendly whilst demonstrating her knowledge and expertise. Thank you, Heather! x"

🌟TUESDAY TESTIMONIAL! 🌟

"Heather has just helped me tidy up my (much mucked around with) website and sorted out my SEO to help me be more visible to the clients I love serving.

She was an absolute joy to work with and really friendly and approachable. She went above and beyond, making me some small tutorial videos, to help me use my SEO words correctly in my blogs and on my site in the future.

Thank you so much for your wonderful help Heather."

❓Do you need help with your existing website?
❓ When was the last time you worked on your business website?

⬇️ Let me know in the comments the biggest problem you have with your website right now ⬇️

Happy International Women's Day!👩🏻‍🦰👱🏻‍♀️👩🏽👩🏾‍🦱👵🏿🧔🏻‍♀️

As a female business owner myself, I love working with other women to help them achieve the success they desire and so deserve, supporting and empowering them to gain confidence in themselves and their services.

Today is all about female empowerment, so I just wanted to share some of the amazing women in my world. Each and every one of them has helped me grow in confidence and visibility, throughout the last 2-3 years, since going it alone as a business owner.

Without the help of these amazing women, whether it be working with them as my clients, working in collaborations on bigger projects, supporting me through networking, or helping me as the client myself, they're all wonderful women who should be celebrated and applauded for all that they achieve every day, not just today. I love you all! 💖

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To find out more about how I can help you grow your business and get more confidence and clarity in your branding and website content, check out the 🔗 l!nk in the comment.s!

CONTENT PLANNING IDEAS - JANUARY

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Happy Friday 13th (and Make Your Dreams Come True Day 💖!). I know, I know, I'm late to the party with this post this month, but better late than never I say! There are still 18 days left in January and plenty of opportunities to post about these awareness and national days if it fits your business.

And just because the day might have 'officially' passed, doesn't mean you can't still talk about these subjects in your content if it's relevant to you and your audience. For example, it's Financial wellness month, which would be great for businesses such as mortgage brokers, accountants, LPAs and financial advisors. On a personal level, it's Thyroid Awareness Month. I had my thyroid removed in 2019 after being diagnosed with Grave's disease in 2017, so I know a lot about the effects this important little gland can have on all our bodies and how we feel!

Some more fun ones this month include International Kiss a Ginger day yesterday, appreciate a dragon day, Winnie the Pooh day and national hugging day!

More serious dates include Chinese new year, Burns night and Holocaust memorial day.

I hope this helps inspire you when you're creating and planning your content this month.

I know coming up with content for your business can feel really time-consuming and overwhelming, trying to think of original ways to promote your business, and getting your head around all the latest TikTok and Reel trends, it's enough to put anyone off. But if we want to stay visible to our audience, we have to keep showing up.

➡️ What have you got coming up this month that you want to shout about?

➡️ What days would resonate with you or your business?

⬇️ Share in the comments below!

Happy New Year! 🎇 (It is still OK to say that 11 days in, right?) I know I can't be the only one in the boat where only in the last few days have I been getting back into the full swing of things.

December was pretty much a right-off for me. I ended up with the dreadful flu that was going around, as well as trying to get us all ready for Christmas as a family, and then my twins' birthday a week later (great timing, huh!), and getting them back to school last week.

January is often seen as a time for 'the great reset', where we set ourselves New Year's Resolutions, which are more often than not long forgotten by the middle of the month, or we vow to get back on the diet after a month of over-consumption (side note, diet culture can get in the bin as far as I'm concerned; if you're unhappy with yourself you don't need a change of year or a million adverts pushing the latest fad diet down your throat to decide to do something about it).

It's also a time we often make goals and plans for the year ahead. I've seen a few posts floating around where people are bucking the trend and going with the flow, choosing to leave their goal-setting to the Spring. And I really like that. Why jump on the New Year bandwagon just because everyone else is doing the same thing, especially if you know you're one of the ones who tend to have your resolutions and goals fall by the wayside by the 31st of January and feel utterly gutted and disappointed that yet again you haven't achieved what you set out to.

One thing I want to do more of this year is to have a general overview of where I want to go with my business, and what new things I want to try or learn, for both myself and my clients.

For example, I really want to learn brush calligraphy. It's been something I've wanted to do for a very long time but I've never found the time. This year, I'm focusing more on myself and self-care. So I will get around to making the time and space to be able to do that. When? Who knows! I'm not going to give myself a finite deadline to stick to. But it's more that I'm making myself a promise to make space to be able to do it.

This year, I'm going to use my calendar more like a vision board. To clearly see what I've got coming up, what challenges might get in my way, and what things I want to celebrate.

I created myself this digital calendar design and stuck it up on my Etsy shop (which again, I don't share nearly enough about!), so I'm sharing it here with you now if anyone else feels the way I do about getting organised for the year ahead. I've also got a cheeky 35% off sale until this Saturday, so the digital download is less than a Costa coffee!

I'll drop the link in the comments below 😊

❓What are your plans for 2023 - are you an avid goal-setter or a go-with-the-flow type of person? I'd love to hear in the comments.

Do you struggle to come up with calls to action on each of your social media posts? I feel you!

I've put together this cheat sheet for engaging CTAs to help you encourage your audience to interact with you in your posts.

Save this post for the next time you have CTA paralysis 😉

9 engaging calls to action...

1. Double tap if you agree
2. Drop a heart if you can relate
3. Tag a pal who needs to hear this
4. Save this for later
5. Share if you agree
6. Drop a YES below
7. Let me know in the comments
8. Swipe to learn more
9. Link is in my BIO

The #1 thing you need to have ready for your website designer before getting them to design & build your website is your content!

If you do not provide your completed content to your designer they can not accurately design your website. The same goes for the background of your brand foundations - what are your values, your vision for the future of your brand, and how do you position your business amongst your competitors?

This is is why I have created this simple but super useful website content planner for you! This document will help you gather all of your website content and will give your designer the full picture of what you are after.

Do it right & do it once is my motto!

Head to my website now and download your FREE Website Content Planner now.

⬇️ Link in the comments below ⬇️

Big Bee Content shared this really interesting fact earlier! I'm a great believer that 13 is in fact a lucky number, particularly today being the 13th of December and also my birthday! I was even born on Friday 13th and yes I used to have my very own 3-legged black cat when I was younger (a story for another day 😂).

Blogging is an amazing way to increase visibility in your business and help you to get found on Google. It's also a great way to show off your expertise to your audience and entice more of your dream clients to get in touch with you and find out more about how they can work with you.

I've worked with Niki from Big Bee Content in many ways over the last couple of years, if you want to find out more about how blogging can help your business drop me a DM or comment below! ❤️

Thirteen is not an unlucky number when you consider businesses that publish regular blogs are 13 times more likely to achieve good return on investment. 🤩

Are you blogging for your business? If you’re not and want to have a chat about how, what, where and when to blog, please get in touch. ☎️

THE COST OF BAD DESIGN

Bad design will cost you trust, relationships, money, credibility, and time.

But GOOD design will make selling easy because you will become a magnet for your dream clients and instantly demand credibility and ooze confidence.

So before you decide to DIY your brand, ask yourself, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?

I am opening up places for branding packages for 2023.
DM me with the words HIT ME & I will send you my brochure & price list ❤️

Hi lovely ones!

I'm just popping on here to remind you that you've only got until tomorrow to vote for me in the Women’s Business Awards! 🏆 If you've already voted, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart, it means so much to me to have your support.

If you haven't voted there's still time, I really am so proud to have been nominated for the Creative Business of the Year Award!

This would round off such an incredible year for me and my business. Voting closes tomorrow! The winners will be announced next Thursday at the awards ceremony, and I'll be sure to keep you up to date with the results, whichever way it goes. 😊

But, I need your help...

CLICK HERE: https://forms.gle/Qj6nXjk7ZMqQfXKD6

1. Simply go to the Google form link
2. Choose the "United Kingdom" awards
3. Find my name from the dropdown list "Heather Hulbert - Creative Business Award, United Kingdom".

It will ask you for a short testimonial on why you think I deserve to win. Every vote counts so I truly appreciate your support with this one.

Please cast your vote for me here:

https://forms.gle/Qj6nXjk7ZMqQfXKD6

Hello everyone!

I hope you're keeping well on this wet and dreary Monday morning! I just wanted to pop on here and let you know how excited I am, as I've made it as a finalist for a Women’s Business Award! 🏆

Straight off the back of my amazing achievement last month at the Digital Women's Awards, winning Website Designer of the Year, I am so proud to have been nominated for the Creative Business of the Year Award!

2022 really has been an incredible year for me. I started out with two words I wanted to be my focus for the year ahead - Opportunities and Collaboration - and these have come my way in abundance!

It's such an honour to be recognised for the work I've been doing to help many so many female-led businesses show up more confidently and authentically for their audiences, so winning this award next month would be the cherry on top of an incredible year for me and my business.

🆘 But, I need your help...

This time, I need your help to VOTE FOR ME at the link below! The votes only make up a small part of deciding the winner, but all testimonials will be read by the judges whilst making this decision. I would really appreciate your support.

The winners will be announced on the 8th December so you've not got long to get your votes in!

Simply go to the Google form, choose the UK awards, and find my name from the dropdown list "Heather Hulbert - Creative Business Award, United Kingdom".

It will ask you for a short testimonial on why you think I deserve to win. Every vote counts so I truly appreciate your support with this one.

Please cast your vote for me here:

https://forms.gle/Qj6nXjk7ZMqQfXKD6

Thank you as always for your love and support.

Heather x

CONTENT PLANNING IDEAS - NOVEMBER
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There's a lot going on this month including NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), Guy Fawkes/Fireworks night, Gluten-free diet awareness month, World Prematurity Day, International stress-awareness week, Remembrance Day, Global entrepreneurship week, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Mickey Mouse's birthday, even National clean out your fridge and Odd socks days!... and many, many more!

Coming up with content for your business can feel really time-consuming and overwhelming, trying to think of original ways to promote your business, and getting your head around all the latest TikTok and Reel trends, it's enough to put anyone off. But if we want to stay visible to our audience, we have to keep showing up.

There really is a day for everything these days, so I've put together a list of some of the top International and UK-based dates each month and will be sharing them here for you, to make your content planning just a little bit easier.

➡️ What have you got coming up this month you want to shout about?
➡️ What days would resonate with you or your business?
⬇️ Share in the comments below!

👋 Hey you gorgeous lot!

It's been a while since I introduced myself, so just wanted to pop by and re-introduce myself to you all here, and remind you all about what I do and how I can help you.

I'm Heather, and I'm a branding and website designer. I help female entrepreneurs to put the sparkle back into their business, helping them to show up more confidently with branding that makes them smile, and really represents who they are and what they stand for, and their mission for the future, which in turn helps them to attract more of their dream clients.

I design and build Wordpress websites to fully showcase your products or services, making sure your user experience is flawless, so your clients and customers will return again and again.

I started 20 years ago in Graphic design with printed media and 10 years ago switched to digital website design and email marketing.

🏆 I recently won the Website Designer of the Year at the Digital Women Awards 2022 (yes I'm still going on about that 😂). But this just shows you're in the right hands with me. With my years of experience behind me, and my creative flare, you're onto a winner!

Back in 2018 I had my twin boys who are crazy, funny, hectic, and my whole world. After maternity leave ended I took redundancy from my previous job and decided to start freelancing instead, so that I could be around for the boys when they needed me. And so 'Heather Hulbert Designs' was born!

5 Fun Facts about me:

💜 I'm a massive cat lover (and have a fur-baby called Willow 😻)
💜 I'm a big font geek (you won't be seeing any Comic Sans here!)
💜 I love going out for Afternoon Tea
💜 I'm a bit 'woo' and have started exploring the spiritual side of life over the last couple of years
💜 I hate egg custard tarts with a passion! 🤢

Tell me a fun fact about yourself in the comments!

📷 credit: La Bohème Photography

It's been two weeks now since I won 🏆 Website Designer of the Year at the Digital Women Awards 2022. I'm still in shock if I'm honest!

Who'd have thought, little old me would be put forward as a finalist, let alone actually go all the way and win it!? Never in a million years would I have had the confidence to do that just two years ago.

Back when I started my business, during the pandemic, and I found myself having to step out of my introverted comfort zone and MEET people online via networking, I was terrified.

What if I stumbled on my words? What if no-one liked me? What if they thought 'who does she think she is, saying she can build design and websites all on her own?'...

See, I'd always been part of a team before. I had people I could turn to and ask for advice. Now, it is all on my shoulders, and that's a heavy weight to bear.

I've done a lot of soul-searching over the last couple of years, pushing my boundaries and showing up, even when I didn't feel like it, knowing it's all about building relationships and getting people to know, like and trust me (yes, I'm pulling out that age old saying!), but it's so true! People buy from people - building connections and real relationships is what brings people together, and that's when the creative magic happens.

So many of the people I've worked with over the last couple of years, clients and collaborators alike, have truly become my friends now. I'm surrounded by a support network of amazing women and I'm loving it.

To have won this award, to have been chosen out of all of the entrants, and to have that validation that others think I'm good enough as well, is just amazing.

I've even been featured in my local newspaper now too, which just blows my mind. If you fancy a quick read, I'll pop the link to the article in the comments below.

The full list of winners has also been published on the Digital Women's website. There's some amazing talent in there, so if you're looking for anyone to work with, either in or on your business, go check them out and connect with them. (I'll pop the link in the comments for this as well)

It's only 2 more sleeps until the Digital Women Awards 2022 event this Friday, and I'm SO excited and nervous! I'm up for two awards:

🏆 Freelancer of the Year
🏆 Website Designer of the Year

Either of those would be unreal to win, but even being recognised in my field of expertise as worthy of making the finals is so humbling.

The past couple of years have been a wild ride, finding my feet in the world of self-employment, and helping some wonderful women finally find their feet in their businesses and start showing up as the incredible powerhouses they truly are. I love being a part of their journeys, celebrating their wins with them as if they were my own.

Being a finalist feels like the cherry on top of the best sprinkled-filled trifle ever! I cannot wait to go to this amazing event and share in the awesomeness of all the other incredible women who have been nominated, including the wonderful Niki May Blane and Mi Elfverson 💖 and celebrate with one of my oldest friends Sara Caine 💖 on a rare night out ( !)

CONTENT PLANNING IDEAS - OCTOBER
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There's a lot going on this month, from raising awareness around Mental Health, Babyloss, Breast Cancer, Diwali, Halloween, National Black Cat day, LGBTQ+ History, month, Black history month, World menopause month, even national count your buttons day... and many many more!

Coming up with content for your business can feel really time-consuming and overwhelming, trying to think of original ways to promote your business, and getting your head around all the latest TikTok and Reel trends, it's enough to put anyone off. But if we want to stay visible to our audience, we have to keep showing up. There really is a day for everything these days, so I've put together a list of some of the top International and UK-based dates each month and will be sharing them here for you, to make your content planning just a little bit easier.

➡️ What have you got coming up this month you want to shout about?
➡️ What days would resonate with you or your business?
⬇️ Share in the comments below!