Annette Kessler – IFTS, Inc. Blog

How to Connect Your Google Calendar to GoHighLevel

Benefits of Calendar Integration

If you use GoHighLevel to manage a small painting business, it can help you optimize operations by allowing you to use a single platform rather than multiple apps and platforms. This makes it simple for consumers to learn about you, fill out forms, schedule appointments, and conduct research on your company.

Integrating your Google Calendar with GoHighLevel gives you a lot of benefits that can help you make better use of your time and make you more productive overall.

First, it saves time by getting rid of the need to physically cross-check or update multiple calendars. Second, it makes sure that your work and personal plans are in sync, which keeps them from overlapping or clashing. Third, you can easily plan meetings, set reminders, and add events, which makes you more productive. Lastly, it lets you get updates across all platforms in real time, so you always know if your plan changes.

Connecting Your Google Calendar to GoHighLevel

This can help you streamline your scheduling and ensure that you never miss an important event or meeting. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Step 1: Log into Your GoHighLevel Account

The first step is to log into your GoHighLevel account. If you don’t yet have an account, you can sign up on the GoHighLevel website.

Step 2: Navigate to the Calendar

Once you’re logged in, navigate to the “Calendar” section in your GoHighLevel account.

You’ll see a tab at the top of the page labeled “Calendar Settings” that you can select.

Step 3: Click on 'Integrations'

Find and click on the “Integrations” button located on the left hand side menu of your screen.

Step 4: Google Authorization

To add your email account, you’ll be asked to provide your Google account credentials and to give GoHighLevel access to your Google Calendar. Log in to your Google account and click “allow” to provide the necessary authorization.

Step 5: Sync Your Calendars

After allowing your Google Account to integrate with GoHighLevel, you will then select the “My Profile” tab located in the menu on the left side of the screen. All of your general account information will appear, and you will be able to scroll down to the section labeled “Calendar Configuration” and click the “edit” button.

You will then be able to select your Google Calendar account to sync with your GoHighLevel account. Hit save, and you are all done!

You Are Now Synced!

After following these simple steps, your Google Calendar will be in sync with GoHighLevel.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Occasionally, you might encounter issues when connecting your Google Calendar to GoHighLevel. Here are a few troubleshooting tips:

Missing Events: If your events aren’t showing up in GoHighLevel, check to see if they’re marked as ‘busy’ in Google Calendar. Only ‘busy’ events are visible in GoHighLevel.
Duplicate Events: If you’re seeing duplicate events, make sure you haven’t connected the same calendar more than once. Go to the GoHighLevel settings and verify the connected calendars.
Not Receiving Updates: If you’re not receiving updates about changes to your schedule, ensure that your notification settings are correct in both Google Calendar and GoHighLevel.

Remember, if problems persist, don’t hesitate to reach out to GoHighLevel support for further assistance.

Additional Support Options for Calendar Syncing

Beyond the provided troubleshooting steps, there are other avenues for support should issues persist with your calendar syncing.

GoHighLevel Community Forum: This is a great place to connect with other GoHighLevel users. You can post your queries and get input from individuals who have encountered similar issues. Access the forum here.
GoHighLevel Webinars: These webinars often address common issues, including troubleshooting syncing problems. Keep an eye on the schedule to catch relevant sessions. Find the upcoming webinars here.
Google Support: Google offers comprehensive support for Google Calendar. You can find articles, guides, and community forums to get help. Visit Google’s Help Center here.
Contact Support: If you’re still facing issues after exploring these resources, consider reaching out to GoHighLevel’s customer service directly via email or phone call. They can provide personalized assistance to resolve your problem. Contact details can be found here.

Remember, the goal is to ensure your calendar syncs seamlessly, enhancing your productivity and scheduling efficiency. Don’t hesitate to seek help if you encounter any issues.

Maximizing Your Calendar Integration

To truly make the most of your Google Calendar and GoHighLevel integration, here are some effective tips:

Check for Conflicts: When syncing your Google Calendar in the profile screen, you can also set up your calendar to check for conflicts.
Utilize Color-Coding: Use different colors for different types of events or tasks. This helps in identifying and prioritizing tasks at a glance.
Set Reminders: Make good use of the reminder feature. Set reminders for important meetings, deadlines, or tasks.
Use Description Fields: When creating an event, use description fields to note down key points about the meeting or task. This will serve as a quick reference later.
Share Your Calendar: If you’re working with a team, share your calendar with them. This will not only keep everyone informed but also help avoid scheduling conflicts.

Leverage Third-Party Integrations: GoHighLevel integrates with numerous third-party applications. Leverage these integrations to maximize efficiency.

That's it!

You have successfully connected your Google Calendar to GoHighLevel. All of the events in your calendar will now be synced and you’ll never miss another important meeting or event again.

GoHighLevel also offers a wide range of features that make managing your calendar even easier, such as the ability to view and add events to multiple calendars at the same time, create reminders for upcoming events, and access event details quickly.

Now that you have connected your Google Calendar to GoHighLevel, why not take advantage of some other features?

You can create and schedule tasks directly from your calendar, as well as set reminders for yourself to stay on top of your to-do list. You can also integrate with third-party applications, such as Slack and Zoom, to help streamline communication among teams.

Remember, efficient use of integrated calendars can significantly boost your productivity and streamline your workflow, saving you valuable time and effort.

With GoHighLevel’s calendar integration features, you’ll have everything you need to stay organized and on top of your daily tasks! Try it out today! We hope you enjoy the convenience of syncing your Google Calendar with GoHighLevel!

Let us know if you need help with getting your calendar synced with GoHighLevel by contacting si@iftsdesign.com!

How to Whitelist an Email Address in Google: A Simple Guide

It is important to whitelist an email address so that important emails don’t end up in the spam or junk folder.

Gmail, Google’s email service, makes it quick and simple to put an email address on a whitelist. By adding an email address to the whitelist, you can ensure that all emails from that address will be delivered to your inbox.

Be aware, whitelisting an email address in Gmail does not guarantee that all emails from that address will be delivered to your inbox. Gmail’s spam filter is constantly evolving and may still mark some emails as spam. However, whitelisting an email address can significantly increase the chances of receiving those important emails.

Understanding Whitelisting

Whitelisting is a way of allowing emails from certain senders to get through spam filters and reach your mailbox directly. This is useful if you want to make sure that emails from individuals you know and trust always reach you, even if they contain potentially spam-like information.

When you whitelist an email address, you are telling your email provider that you trust that sender and want to receive their emails. This is really important for businesses that rely on email for communication with clients or customers, as important emails can sometimes be miss marked as spam and never reach their intended recipient.

Just remember, whitelisting doesn’t stop spam. Even if you have whitelisted some senders, hackers and scammers can still send emails through. It can, however, be a good approach to prevent unintentional rejection of those important client emails.

You can whitelist an email address in Google by adding the sender’s email address to your Contacts list or by creating a filter that allows their emails to bypass the spam filter. By doing so, you can relax knowing that emails from that source always arrive in your mailbox, even if they include potentially spam-like content.

Accessing Your Google Account Settings

To whitelist an email address in Google, you need to access your Google account settings. Here’s how:

Open your web browser and go to Google.
Click on the “Sign in” button located at the top-right corner of the page.
Enter your Google account email address and password, then click on the “Sign in” button.

Once you are signed in, click on the “Google apps” button located at the top-right corner of the page.

From the drop-down menu, click on the “Gmail” icon.

You are now in your Gmail account inbox and ready to start whitelisting emails.

Creating a New Contact

The fastest way to whitelist an email address in Gmail is by simply adding the sender to your contact list.

To do this, go to your inbox and hover over an email from the person whose email address you wish to add to your whitelist. When a person + icon appears in the top-right corner of the new tab, click and select “Add [sender] to Contacts.” This will add the sender’s email address to your contacts list and allow you to receive emails from them.

Navigating to the Filters and Blocked Addresses Tab

The other way to prevent emails from being sent to spam is to go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab in your Gmail settings following these quick steps:

In your Gmail inbox, click on the gear icon located at the top-right corner of the page.
From the drop-down menu, click on “Settings” and select “See All Settings”.
Click on the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab, which is located near the top of the page.

You will now see your Gmail account settings page, where you can whitelist an email address through filters.

Overall, navigating to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab in Google is a straightforward process that can help users better manage their email. Now, you are ready to create a new filter.

Creating a New Filter

Instead of just creating a new contact, you can create a new filter for keeping essential emails. By following these simple steps, users can ensure that important messages are never missed or marked as spam.

Entering the Desired Email Address

Now that you are in the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab, click on the “Create a new filter” tab.

In the “From” field, enter the email address that you want to whitelist. If you want to whitelist multiple email addresses, separate them with a comma, and continue to add to your list.

Selecting the Right Criteria

Once you have entered the desired email address, you can select the guidelines for the filter. You can choose to apply the filter to all incoming emails, or you can specify certain criteria such as keywords, subject lines, or attachment types.

For example, if you only want to whitelist emails from a certain sender with a specific subject line, you can enter those standards in the appropriate fields. You can also choose what action to take with the emails that meet the filter criteria, such as marking them as important or archiving them.

By creating a new filter with the desired email address and specifications, you can ensure that any important emails will not be sent to spam.

Choosing the Never Send to Spam Option

Now that you’ve created a new filter with the email address and criteria, you can also simply check the box “Never send it to Spam” without needing to select any other parameters.

Saving the Filter

After selecting the “Never send it to Spam ” option, or other criteria, click on the “Create filter” button to save the filter. This will ensure that all future emails from the whitelisted email address are delivered to the inbox.

We hope you have a better understanding of how whitelisting an email address in Google is an easy process that can help increase the likelihood that important emails from important clients are not missed.

Again, we want to point out that whitelisting an email address does not guarantee that all emails from that address will be delivered to the inbox, but it is a great step to take.

Need more help?

Let us handle the important marketing details so you can focus on running a successful painting company! Email si@iftsdesign.com to find out more!

Creating Video Marketing Content With Canva: Useful Strategies For Your Small Painting Business

Creating Video Content With Canva: Useful Strategies For Your Small Painting Business, PART 2

Let’s face it, in the world of small business marketing, standing out can be tough, but is critical. In our last blog, we gave you the tools to create professional-looking videos with Canva, without needing a Hollywood production team.

But hold on to your paintbrushes, because in this article, we’ll be unleashing your inner creativity to make those videos shine brighter than a fresh coat of paint!

Let's Get Creative

Canva also allows small businesses and house painters to add text, graphics, transitions, and music to make their marketing videos more engaging and effective. These features can add interest to the message and grab the viewer’s attention.

Here are some simple ways to make your videos stand out from the crowd!

Got Graphics?

Graphics and text are a great addition to your marketing video and help you create a moving story for your brand. Try not to get too carried away with adding these elements to your video, though. You can always add more later! Start simple by doing the following:

Select the “Elements” tab from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the editing screen.
Choose the graphic or icon you want to add to your video and drag it onto the timeline.
Resize and adjust the graphic as necessary and position it where you want it to appear by dragging the corners of the purple box that appears when you select a graphic.
Click on the graphic to also customize the color, size, position, rotation, or transparency of it.
Repeat the process to add more graphics to your video as required.
The same steps can be applied for adding custom text by selecting the “Text” tab located on the same toolbar as the “Elements” tab.

Add Animation!

Animating graphics in Canva can add a lot of interest and movement to your marketing video. Animations can make your video look better and help you tell the story in a more exciting way. Here’s how to animate graphics in Canva:

Select the graphic that you want to animate by clicking on it in the editing screen.
Click on the “Animate” button located in the upper left corner of the editing screen.
Choose the animation style that you want to apply to the graphic, and adjust the animation settings as necessary. Canva provides a range of animation effects, such as fade-in, slide-in, and bounce.
Adjust the timing and duration of the animation by clicking on the “Animation length” button and setting the length of time you want the animation to last.
Preview your animated graphic by clicking on the “Play” button located in the bottom left corner of the editing screen.

*Pro tip* – Like graphics and text elements, animations should be used sparingly to avoid overwhelming the viewer with too many moving elements.

Timing is Everything

Timing is a critical aspect of video editing, and it’s no different when adding graphic elements to your marketing video in Canva. If the timing of your graphic elements is off, it can take away from its effectiveness and impact on your viewer. Therefore, it’s important to know how to change the timing of these elements in Canva.

You will need to navigate to the timeline tab located at the bottom of the editing screen. This is where all of the elements you have added to your video are displayed in order of appearance.
Once you have located the graphic element you want to adjust the timing for, simply click on it to select it. You will notice a tab with three dots appears above, and when you click on those dots, a new menu pops up with several icons, including a timer.
Choose the timer icon to show its timing, which is now displayed as a purple bar with a thumbnail of the graphic just above your video timeline at the bottom of the editing screen.
To adjust the timing of the graphic element, simply click and drag it to the left or right along the timeline.

*Pro tip* – keep in mind that the timing of your graphic elements should be in harmony with the overall rhythm and pacing of your video. You can experiment with different durations and timings to see what works best for your video.

Smooth Transitions

When you have more than one video clip in your video timeline, you can choose to transition between those clips in fun and unique ways such as fades, slides, pops and more! Transitions can help create a smooth or more interesting flow between the sections of your video. Here’s how to add them:

With your cursor, hover over the space between two clipped sections of your video. A plus icon will appear, as well as the transition icon.
Select the transition icon and a menu will appear with different types of transitions you can apply to your video.
Choose the desired transition style and it will appear on your video’s timeline between the two video clips.
While in the transitions menu, you can adjust the duration by dragging the slider bar that appears below your selection.
Repeat the process to add as many transitions as you’d like.

*Pro tip* – To add the same transition between each video clip, click on the “apply between all pages” button at the bottom of the menu to save time.

Music to My Ears

And last but not least, don’t forget about the audio. Your visuals might be on point, but bad audio can kill a video faster than you can say “soundcheck.” Make sure your audio is crystal clear and be sure to add music to your video to make it more engaging and emotional. Canva has a library of music you can use or you can upload your own. Just make sure you have the right to use it. Here’s how to adjust the volume of your video’s audio and add music:

Select the “Music” button from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the editing screen.
Choose the desired music track from Canva’s library or upload your own track.
Select the music track and a new audio timeline bar will appear below your video’s timeline.
When you click on the audio timeline bar an audio effects menu will show at the top of the video editing screen. Adjust the volume of the music by clicking the audio icon and dragging the slider in the volume tab.
Trim the audio clip as necessary by dragging its edges.

*Pro tip* – If the track you’ve added to your video is too short, simply click the ending point of the track in your video and add it again. You may need to adjust where the music tracks overlap so they are in sync.

Get Ready to Roll!

Once you’re done adding effects and editing the visuals, it’s time to review your work and make sure that everything looks perfect and is ready for export. To do this, you can use Canva’s play button located near the top left corner of the page to preview how your entire video flows together.

Made a mistake? No problem!

The undo button is also located near the top left corner of the page, or with Canva Pro, you can revert to a previous version of the video and go from there.

Once you’ve finished editing your video, it’s time to export it so you can use it for marketing purposes. Simply click on the “Export” button and choose your desired video format and resolution.

Canva offers a range of options, including MP4, GIF, and MOV. You can also choose the quality and resolution of your video.

*Pro tip* – Keep in mind, many social media platforms only allow videos of a certain length to be posted, so be sure to adjust accordingly.

This is the Way

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of videos to see what resonates with your audience. Try creating how-to videos, product demos, behind-the-scenes videos, or customer testimonial videos to see what works best for your business.

By using videos to showcase your products and services, share your expertise, and promote your events, you can increase engagement and reach a wider audience.

Now you’re ready to share your videos on social media, embed them on your website, use them in your email marketing campaigns, and start getting the most out of your video content!

With these tips and strategies, you’ll be able to create professional-looking marketing videos that promote your small business or house painting services that attract new customers and blow your competition away!

Remember, making videos should be fun and creative, so don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Happy video-making!

Need more help? Contact our social media experts at IFTS, and we will get the job done for you! Give us a call today at 412-715-6266, and we’ll get you started on creating videos that will take your business to the next level.