WriteOn LLC

Members of the media can be your best friends. That is, if you know how to approach the relationship correctly. Here are a few tips for enhancing company-media relations:

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Above of, be respectful of their time and workload.  Members of the media have deadlines and cannot always respond to your inquiry within your ideal time frame. Patience is key.
• Do your homework:  Know the reporter and the media outlet before picking up the phone. Consider building a detailed and targeted media list to help determine which one is a good fit for your organization.
• Method of Communication is key:  Make a point to know how and when the reporter wants to be contacted. Some welcome phone calls, while others prefer email or even snail mail. Also, as stated above, be aware of deadlines.

• Build trust: Never make a promise you cannot fulfill, especially to a journalist. This is the kiss of death for media relations. Promise to do your part well before the deadline and always follow though. If a conflict arises, notify them ASAP.
• Keep them in the loop:  Maintain constant communication with reporters on your beat. They will appreciate the heads up especially in the event of a breaking news story.

Hungry for more tips? Read this article!

When bidding on a copy-writing project recently, a client once informed me I was among the most costly (much to my surprise.) He asked me to justify my rates and I did. Luckily I was awarded the project. But the story doesn’t end here. This conversation prompted me to ponder my pricing.  For those of you out there who are concerned soley with pricing, may I offer a few considerations:

• Experience: How long has the vendor been in the business? Sometimes experience is worth top-dollar. A formally trained journalist has skills an amateur lacks.
• Turn-around time: There is something to be said for a writer who can turn around a project within a few hours (or minutes’) notice. Time is money. Never forget that!
• Quality: Nearly anyone can produce mediocre content. It takes a skilled writer, however,  to really knock it out of the park. Put simply, you get what you pay for!
• Professionalism: Look for a writer who maintains professional courtesy, responds to inquiries within a reasonable time (1-2 days at worst), and meets deadlines. In today’s ever casual e-world, this trait is not commonplace.

So, there you have it. The next time you question a writer’s quote, be sure to take all of these factors into account. A great writer is the total package.

What’s hot in the  marketing world in 2012? Here are a few up-and-coming trends:

1. Mobile marketing is the wave of the future: Think text messages and Web sites optimized for Smart Phones.

2. Companies are investing advertising dollars in digital marketing: There is a continued shift from traditional print media to online strategies in the form of social media, email marketing and search marketing.  The track-able nature of these tactics is the selling point.

3. Fonts and color take center stage: With more choices than ever before, marketers can choose fonts that are brand compliant and attractive.  Designers in 2012 will employ the chaotic use of multiple fonts, weights and sizes—all in the same piece. What’s more, upbeat colors like yellow, organize, aqua, green and fuchsia are what experts believe to be the most popular in Web design.

4. Social media strategy is king: Mere social media presence is not enough. Rather, the most successful organizations employing social media have a strategic plan in place. Remember, you can’t be everything to everyone. Focus on a few networks, complete with objectives, target audiences, metrics, etc. and you’ll be more effective.

5. YouTube is under-rated: Take advantage of the world’s second largest search engine! A strategic YouTube strategy can actually drive business to your company and boost search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.

A Web site is only as good as its  number of viewers.

Do YOU have any idea how much traffic your site gets in a typical day, week, month or year? What do they do there? Which features are most popular? Was that big redesign worth the money? Simply put, Web analytics tools allow for tracking of site’s statistics. This in turn allows you to see how many people are looking at each page, what sites they came from, and other information to help develop a picture of your audience.

These tools can allow you to get the most “bang for your buck” out of your Web site. They also enable users to track site’s key metrics to help you measure traffic, understand your visitors’ needs and behavior, and gauge click-through rates to new content or features. There are several free analytics tools out there, but I have found Google Analytics to be the most user-friendly and effective.

To get started, you will need to install Google Analytics on your site. (There is a step-by-step guide on their Web site.) This involves pasting a chunk of HTML code provided by Google into every page. After installation you can see how often visitors come to your site, tracks visitor conversion across a series of pages, compare the behavior of different types of visitors and much more!  You will also have the capability tracking traffic over the course of a of given time period. Almost every set of metrics can be specified to what’s more useful or relevant to you.

Put simply, a copy editor can save your business from thousands of dollars in lost revenue,  potential embarrassment or even weakening of your brand’s credibility. As, I’ve stated before in a previous post, do not be *that business.*

Still not convinced?  Just Google examples of advertisements gone wrong and I think you’ll change your tune.

The bottom line: it never hurts to have an extra eye review the copy in question for accuracy, grammar, punctuation, etc. It might seem like an “extra” expense, but think of the cost of the alternative.  You can’t put a price on a reputation!

Defined simply, a brand is an “emotional and psychological relationship you have with your customers.” But there is much more to branding than this textbook definition.

Effective brands warrant thoughts, emotions, and sometimes physiological responses from customers. Think about Nike. What concepts does that brand conjure? Dedication? Determination? Athleticism? Sportsmanship? All of the above?

Your brand lays the foundation for your customer experience.  That means you need to align your advertising and marketing strategies around it. In short, your brand should be authentic and genuine. It embodies what you are and what you stand for. Internally, your brand should be the epicenter of your strategies.

Behind every well-branded business is an aware business owner. He or she possesses a keen understanding of what the business stands for. All decisions, not just marketing, should be made with the brand identity in mind. Over time, that’s how you build a strong brand.

Did you know there are some small yet significant changes you can make to your Web site to become more visible and attract more traffic?

Yes, this practice of  process of improving the visibility of a Web site or Web page in search engines, is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Here are a few tips to get your company Web site at the top of Google search results:

• Use keywords and phrases often and appropriately.
• Include links to other reputable sites and encourage others to do the same. This tells search engines that you have worthwhile content and will therefor affect your search ranking.
• Remember content is king. Keep it fresh. Be sure to update the site on a regular basis.
• Add interactive features and media to your Web site. That includes images, video, sharing functions, ratings, visitor comments, etc.
• Understand the importance of social media and how to integrate it into your SEO strategy.

For more SEO tips, feel free to contact me!

Words have the power to make or break a business.

As I touched upon in my last post, a Web site is often the basis for a customer’s first impression of the company. Misuse of words, misspellings and poor grammar should not be taken lightly. What’s more, weak or uninteresting copy is a liability. No one wants to spend time on a Web site only to feel like you’ve wasted their time.

Quality Web site copy is:

• Relevant to the consumer/reader
• Informative
• Accurate
• Simple
• Creative (when necessary)
• Organized