I saw this really smart message from Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank:
“Other banks promise great service. Only U.S. Bank guarantees it.”
It’s smart because it’s memorable and meaningful. So many companies/brands are afraid to make claims about their products and services, perhaps for fear of the dreaded legal department, perhaps for not knowing their own claims.
Find out what your differentiators are, then shout them from the rooftops.
No CommentsMost of my clients are relieved to hand off their writing to me. They have a rush project, they don’t have time or staff, or they intensely dislike the writing process. But once in a while, I come across a client who has the desire and the raw talent to do some of their own writing. If you’re the latter, this post is for you …
Years ago, I happened to garner the email address of author Tom Clancy so I decided to ask his advice about how to write my first novel. I sent a multi-paragraph email outlining my idea, sharing my thoughts about becoming a novelist, listing all the things I didn’t know about writing a book, and finally asking him how to write my first novel.
The man, whose own novels are legendary in length, emailed me this four-word piece of sage advice: “Write the d*** thing.”
Writing, it seems, begets written copy.
TC’s advice still stands. If you want to write your own copy (and become better at writing it), write something. Then write some more. And still more.
No Comments
As I have the opportunity to meet with new clients, one of my favorite moments is seeing their eyes sparkle and their enthusiasm well up as they realize I “get” them, their product, their goal and what they’re trying to communicate.
Part of that comes from being a professional writer and communicator for going on 22 years; part of that comes from my clients being hungry to know more.
I’m considering offering “communications coaching” to my clients as part of my service offerings. Please take a few minutes to comment here or contact me to share your thoughts on whether or not coaching would be beneficial to you, your organization and your team. While I have my own thoughts on what that might look like, I would appreciate hearing yours. Thank you.
No CommentsI was attending a class on Monday night and the instructor kept talking in cliches … if she said “going out on a limb” once, she said it 15 times.
Everyone (even I, dear reader) can be guilty of the occasional cliche. Cliches are cliches for a reason, you know!
Eliminate common phrases from your oral and written communications with the help of the 2008 list of banished words and phrases.
http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php
No CommentsThe biggest communication issue many of you face is that you simply can’t afford to outsource your much-needed writing project, so you (a) don’t do it (b) do it yourself or (c) give it to the intern.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these options …
Don’t do it — Bad idea if you lose potential customers, income or credibility because you failed to communicate something important. Good idea if the project wasn’t thought out very well or execution would be poor.
Recommendation: Make an old-fashioned paper list of pros and cons and weigh the return on investment before deciding whether or not to move ahead.
Do it yourself — Bad idea if you have to kill yourself to get it done in addition to all your other work or if you’re unable to produce clear and compelling copy. Not so bad idea if this is your forte and you have the time to do it.
Recommendation: Err on the side of caution here and don’t do it yourself if you can help it (unless it’s your job!). Remember that most people write better than they say they do but not as well as they think. :)
Give it to the intern — Bad idea if the intern is clueless. Smart idea if you have an energetic intern who can create copy that’s worth the read.
Recommendation: Hire interns who have interest and experience in writing, explore the creative capabilities of your existing staff, hire a professional who can give voice and tone to your company/brand and then see if the intern can mimic the style.
Now for my little commercial …
Wouldn’t you agree that investing time and money into long-range planning, staffing and technology resources, and revenue generators is a good idea? Of course! Savvy professionals (like you ) know there’s no substitute for quality. A client of mine ended up outsourcing their web content to me last-minute because they used someone who didn’t understand the strategy or the medium. Though my client inched over budget a tiny bit by having to have the work redone, my quick turnaround time and on-message copy resulted in one of their most successful product launches.
No CommentsA tight budget probably tops your list. Approval processes are another biggie.
What’s YOUR biggest communication issue? Tell me here and I’ll post some tips for overcoming it.
No CommentsI just now Googled “new year, new you” and got 1.7 million results. Million.
Like anyone, I love the fresh start of a new year. But I do not respond favorably to the plethora of “new year, new you” marketing campaigns. Why? Because they do nothing to distinguish one product or service from another.
This year, resolve to break free from same-old, same-old marketing messages. Here are some resources to help you do just that (besides me, of course):
http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
http://richlifemarketing.com/
http://jhcomm.net/
http://www.publicityhound.com/