Tag Archives: writing

Inject your marketing with personality in 4 easy steps

Posted by: | May 2, 2013 | Best Practices, Blogging, Branding

fishCompanies are giving their customers a more personal touch. Why? It’s simple: People want personal connections with the companies they do business with. Here are four ways to kick-start your efforts:

  1. Write a blog. Blogs give you the freedom to communicate directly with your target audience. Use an informal tone and write in first person, incorporating “I,” “me,” “you” and “your” throughout your posts. Give your staff a voice by letting them contribute to the blog. Your team will appreciate it and it will allow your customers to get to know your business on a deeper level. Online video, animated graphics and slide shows are another great way to show a human face. Bonus: Regular updates will boost your site’s ranking.
  2. Include employee profiles. Professional bios engage readers. In addition to featuring your employees’ expertise, allow the staff to have some fun and share their personalities. Customers love finding out what makes your people tick!
  3. Use real pictures. Many companies use stock photos on their websites. Although this is not a bad thing, using genuine pictures of your products and employees allows you to connect with your customers on a more personal level. Ultimately, your customers want to do business with people they like and trust. It’s easier to do this when your website contains real images.
  4. Add testimonials. Testimonials are a great way to show potential customers how satisfied past clients are. Make sure they express how clients benefited from your products and services. Try to distinguish results from before they used your products and services and after they became clients. Earn extra credibility by including a picture or video of each person who provides a testimonial.

How are you making your business more personal and human? What do you want to try next? Let us know in the comments below.

Detox from bad marketing habits

Posted by: | April 4, 2013 | Best Practices, Creativity, Direct marketing

pencils targetOne of the worst things companies can do is the status quo: doing just enough to get by but not going the extra mile while promoting their organizations. The bare minimum won’t cut it anymore. Your customers have other choices and your competitors are going after them. Are you missing out on potential opportunities?

Don’t let your marketing plan continue in a rut. Old habits are hard to break, but you can do it in small steps. Don’t try to change everything at once – you’ll overwhelm yourself and go back to your old ways.

Do any of these bad habits sound familiar?

The status quo

Many of us feel compelled to continue on the road most traveled and are comfortable doing what everyone else has done. But what if you decided to break away from the pack and venture into uncharted territory? Would you stand out? The answer is yes.

First, you have to have a strong backing – financially and organizationally – for your initiatives to work. Commit to your cause and fight for it. Going outside the norm entails some risk, but the benefits can be huge. Assess whether your return outweighs the risk.

Relying on emails           

Too many times, companies rely solely on generic email campaigns rather than communicating with prospects through personally addressed letters and emails, phone calls, and targeted ads. The average prospect receives too many mass emails and yours are getting lost in the mix.

Using purchased marketing lists

Don’t do it. Purchasing lists increases your bounce and unsubscribe rates. When people are spammed with emails they didn’t sign up for, they’re more likely to reject what you’re selling – even if they’re in the market for your product. It’s better to build your list by generating interest through website and social media channels. Purchased lists are not targeted. The people who are on them don’t know who you are and didn’t ask you to email them.

Inadequate content

Don’t send stale, insufficient content to your prospects. Find out what they’re interested in and highlight those topics. You can do this through trial and error. Look at your analytics for specific topics in your newsletters and e-blasts. If certain topics have high open rates, it’s a good indication your prospects are interested in learning more. Try writing another article related to that topic. If you get stuck, you may want to hire a professional writer.

To summarize, build your contact list with clean, opted-in prospects. Use a combination of targeted e-blasts, newsletters, offers, and/or phone calls to promote your company. Focus on providing quality, insightful content and be creative ways in getting the word out.

Dealing with a tight budget? Make do with what you have: Focus your energy on improving your content and design.

What targeted marketing efforts work for you? Let us know in the comments below.

Contributing to the English language

Posted by: | January 17, 2013 | Copywriting, Creativity, Grammar

Dictionary“If he or she makes more than $250,000 annually, then his or her refund is reduced by $2,100.”

You’ve no doubt read a sentence like this and wished our linguistic forefathers had used a little more linguistic foresight before creating such a cumbersome way to describe this well-compensated, gender-neutral person who’s now out a few thousand dollars.

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8 simple ways to beat writer’s block

Posted by: | December 6, 2012 | Blogging, Copywriting, Creativity

It happens to the best of us. Whether you’re working on a presentation, a blog post or a newsletter, it can sneak up on you at any time.

Say hello to writer’s block.

Even professional writers experience moments when the words won’t come. Staring at a blank screen can be frustrating, especially when you’re on deadline. Whether you’ve got days or only a few hours to complete your project, try one or more of these winning strategies to smash through creative obstacles: (more…)

Building brand identity with style and consistency

Posted by: | November 29, 2012 | Branding, Style Guru

Ever notice that publications like the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain’s Chicago Business or The Wall Street Journal all seem to follow their own rules when it comes to language?

Of course, that’s because they do. Along with the rest of the publishing world, these four newspapers all adhere to slightly different language guidelines that spell out whether the appropriate usage is “champing at the bit” or “chomping at the bit”; “healthcare” or “health care”; or “ballgown or “ball gown.”

This linguistic minutia may seem insignificant in isolation. But taken together with thousands of other language rules assembled into thick “style manuals,” these volumes not only make a publication’s copy consistent, but they convey and protect its distinctive voice, values and brand identity. (more…)

4 copy delusions and how they hurt your marketing

Posted by: | June 21, 2012 | Best Practices, Copywriting

No matter how much you spend on electronic and print marketing, it won’t impress anyone if the copy isn’t squeaky clean.

Professional design, photography and production make great eye candy, but they’re empty calories without solution-driven, error-free content.

Customers pay attention to mistakes. And they care. Would you do business with a company whose website is poorly written and contains misspellings, or would you choose the firm whose website copy is compelling, concise and clean?

It’s not enough to offer outstanding products and service. You also have to earn customers’ respect and trust. Professional messaging is critical to gaining their confidence. You may not be doing this already, but your competitors are.

So why would a company choose to cut corners when it comes to copy? Read on for the four most common reasons and the misconceptions behind them. (more…)

Don’t let spell-check make you look dumb

Posted by: | May 10, 2012 | Best Practices, due diligence, Puncutation

Spell-check is like a friend who wrecks your car and then repairs the damage to disguise the accident: It seems like she has your back, but she ultimately lets you down.

A writer sent me a draft of a magazine article he wrote recently so that he could get my feedback about the content. It was well-written and engaging, but it’s a good thing he sent it to me. He overlooked the punctuation and grammatical errors. (more…)

Homonyms 101: Don’t dye trying

Posted by: | January 31, 2012 | Best Practices, Blogging, Creativity

Homonyms are by far the most agreeable of the commonly known grammatical -nyms. Antonyms can never see eye-to-eye; synonyms are unoriginal; homonyms are a different breed. Despite their audible similarity, however, homonyms can give you the slip. They are the shifty con men of the verbal universe – just when you think you’ve figured them out, they elude you once more.

Merriam-Webster defines a homonym as, “One of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning.” Whether you’re composing an email or crafting an article for a trade magazine, clean copy counts, and falling victim to the phonetically fickle homonym in your professional writing is an embarrassing way to undermine your abilities. (more…)