reynoldswriting.com Blog

It’s nothing personal. I like you. I like communicating with you at events and whatnot. I might well enjoy reading regular, relevant articles, tips and news items in your e-newsletter. But somehow it just isn’t working out that way.

Do you wonder why more people don’t respond to your e-newsletters? I can’t give you a definite answer without actually taking a look for myself, and even then you’re getting my opinion, not your target audience’s. I can, however, tell you what turns me off. I get plenty of e-newsletters each month. I don’t read many of them. It’s not the medium — it’s the content.

Many of the people who send me e-newsletters have apparently mastered the art of ensuring that I won’t read them. For the rest of you on the borderline, here are a few things you can do to guarantee that I will NOT want to read your e-newsletter:

Don’t ask me if I want it. After all, we chatted at an industry event six months ago, right? Okay, we didn’t chat, but we met. Okay we didn’t actually meet, but we traded business cards. Okay, we didn’t trade cards but we were physically in the same room….None of this automatically means that I’m dying to receive regular emails from you. Ask me first.

Don’t allow me to opt out. Assuming I agreed to receive the e-newsletter, I still might want the option to remove myself from the email list at some point. If I don’t see that option, then I’ll have to opt YOU out instead — by sending all your emails to the spam bin.

Send massive amounts of content that I have no time to read. Most of us check our email on the fly in the midst of a busy workday. If that in-depth white paper or industry study looks like it’s going to seriously derail my forward momentum, I’ll put it aside — and it’ll never get read.

Send the same info over and over again. Tweaking 10 percent of your e-newsletter content each issue does not create a new experience for me.

Send me something every freaking (day/2 days/week/choose your own irritating interval). Even if it’s great stuff, send it too frequently and the signal turns to noise. I tune noise out. How frequently is “too frequently?” Ask your readers.

Send at irregular intervals. Are you publishing quarterly? Monthly? Randomly? Create a regular schedule and stick to it, because that’s what professionals do.

Ask me for money. Just — don’t.

For more about me, my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

Here’s another of my mini-interviews with some of my regular collaborators from the marketing world. Today we’ll hear from Jennifer Davis, a freelance graphic designer I’ve worked with on many print marketing jobs. Jennifer not only has 15 years’ graphic design experience, but she also has an advanced knowledge of printing, copying and document management systems.

WR: How has your experience as a document management specialist helped you as a graphic designer?

JD: Document management involves the most efficient movement of information through a company. My knowledge of document management strategies has given me an edge when it comes to seeing the pieces I create and understanding what role they play in the company’s organization. I can visualize the documents I create in terms of how they reflect and complement the business’s overall branding and corporate philosophy, and how they will interact with other forms and documents to help make the company’s intended statement about itself.

WR: What’s the collaborative process between a graphic designer and copywriter?

JD: You and I both need the same information when we work on a project. We need to know the purpose of the piece, the target audience and what it needs to accomplish. You have your job and I have mine, but we both have to stay on the same page and make sure each of us knows all the answers to the critical questions. One thing we often find in working together is that the initial spark can start from either end. Your words might inspire a certain visual approach in my work, or I might give you an image and have you write to that image.

WR: What should someone look for when shopping around for a graphic designer?

JD: A portfolio with a varied style, something that shows range. If a designer’s work all conforms to one style, that designer may not have the flexibility to handle a wide range of jobs or clients. Make sure your designer is willing to look at your competitors’ marketing and use the styles that work best within your industry. Look for a designer who will put your needs first. I tend to think of myself as a salesperson first and a designer second. I love the creative side of the work, but it’s never just me trying to express myself on paper. I put my creativity at the service of the client because the priority, to me, is to give the client a final product that represents a high professional standard, makes an impression and affects the way the client is perceived in the marketplace. It’s about making sales, not pretty pictures.

WR: Why do you specialize in print marketing design in today’s multimedia world?

JD: Well, 15 years ago when I was starting out as a graphic designer, web design technologies weren’t as user-friendly as they are today. I preferred the real-time rendering and previewing I could get while working on a print piece. Also, I really like the physical nature of the finished product, holding that piece of paper with the full-color design printed on it. But I have strong networking relationships with web specialists and other types of designers, so I’m always happy to help a client who needs design for other media as well.

So you’ve decided to hire a professional writer to help you with your marketing content. It’s a no-brainer, right? Assuming you’ve taken the right steps to make sure you’ve got the right person, you can now set yourself on cruise control and let the writer write. Right?

Well, not quite. No matter how much of the creative burden you offload to the writer, you still have an important task to perform — communicating what you need and want to your creative team. If your writer (or graphic artist, or web designer, et cetera) receives wrong or incomplete information about your mission statement, corporate values, target market or the other things that make your business tick, you’ll get marketing content that misses the mark. Effective communication with your writer will help ensure strong, effective copy just as effective communication with an architect helps ensure that your home ends up with the right number of bathrooms. “Hey, the house looks great now that it’s built. By the way, did I mention we’re a family of twelve?” Oops.

Some items you want to make sure you discuss with your writer include:

Priorities. Writers love background information, so by all means Continue reading ‘How to Get What You Want from a Copywriter’ »

“Which person should I be? Am I ‘I’ or ‘we?’ Or should we be ‘they?’ And are my clients ‘you’ or ‘them?’”

No, this isn’t a transcript from a nuthouse. I have this kind of conversation with clients all the time. It’s actually a very sensible and important conversation, too, because we’re discussing what kind of “person” works best for which situations.

By “person,” I mean grammatical person, in the sense of first-person, second-person, or third-person pronouns. We use these pronouns a zillion times a day in everyday writing and speech, usually without giving them a second thought, and yet these simple little words contain tremendous power.

Pronouns shift perception. You can make me, your reader, see you as an individual, as a team, or as a large, impersonal corporation by merely swapping out a word. You can address me directly or have me see things through your eyes. Powerful gadgets, pronouns. But with great power comes great responsibility, and all pronouns are not created equal depending on the task you want them to perform in your marketing content. That’s when I get into mind-bending conversations with my clients about “we,” “I,” and “they.” So which person makes the strongest impact? It depends:

First person singular: First person allows you to present yourself as an individual. If you’re a sole proprietor serving as a trusted advisor for your clients, talking them directly as “I” can build trust and open an imaginary (and later, hopefully, real) dialogue between you and your reader. Many small businesses live or die by their owner’s image and personality, using “I” as a powerful tool for getting that image across.

First person plural: A.k.a. the “Royal We.” If you’re speaking for a team, “we” presents a collective image of that team. Companies of any size can use “we” to give the impression of a unified group effort dedicated to fulfilling the customer’s needs. Even sole proprietors sometimes describe themselves as “we” or “us” to puff themselves up a bit, because in some professions being the only guy at the helm makes you look non-competitive or unsuccessful. Small businesses may shift between “I” and “we” to speak as the boss occasionally while still giving the impression of teamwork.

Second person: “You.” Employing the reader’s perspective shows that you understand their feelings and needs — and remember, from their point of view it’s all about them anyway. “You” enables the reader to imagine about how the product or service impacts their quality of life. “You can have it all! Change your life today!” Et cetera.

Third person: In some cases a larger company, or a small company that wants to appear large, can opt for more formality by referring to the company employees as “they,” with formal bio blurbs describing individuals in terms of “he” or “she.” This works well for a bio or mission statement in a fancy-pants panel program, business plan, and so on. It also lends gravitas to a person in a relatively sober-minded profession such as medicine or law. But occasionally I’ll warn a client against third person, because it also puts up a kind of wall between writer and reader instead of creating the comforting bond some businesses need to establish.

So, which person does the job for you? They all can, depending on the emotional impression you want to make on your reader. Once you’ve know what impression you want to make, you can attach the right person to the right job.

It would appear that Leonard Nimoy, a.k.a. Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, has announced his intention to “hang up the ears” and retire, not only from the character but from a six-decade career as an actor.

Sure, I watch Star Trek. Writers spend a lot of time cooped up at home, and yes, most of us are okay with that. I enjoy cruising through the galaxy at warp speed with the Star Trek gang, mainly because it allows me to pretend that I’m getting out of the house occasionally. But even if I couldn’t care less about the franchise, there’s no denying that it has developed into a formidable chunk of pop culture over the past half-century. So even those of us who don’t know about it kinda-sorta do.

Anyway, Nimoy’s announcement got me thinking about the show, and about Mr. Spock’s home planet, Vulcan. You see, Vulcans have this ability to “mind meld” with people. They grab your head and perform a kind of telepathy on you, reading your thoughts and feeling your emotions (which must stink on ice for Vulcans who mind-meld with humans, since they really aren’t into the whole emotion thing). For a moment, the Vulcan sees the meld-ee’s point of view in perfect clarity, “becoming” that person long enough to achieve a deep level of empathy.

Vulcan must have fantastic marketing departments. Want to know your target audience? Invite a representative of that demographic into your office, plant a hand on the subject’s noggin and blam, instant market research.

We poor humans have no such skills, at least not readily on tap, as far as we can measure. Yet we who market ourselves must perform this very task — we must get inside the heads of our audience, as best we can, and see through their eyes. We must feel their pain or frustration, recognize the things that make them smile, or look at that product or service as if we’ve never seen it before and have no idea what it could do for us.

It’s an acting technique of sorts. Actors train long and hard to learn to inhabit another person’s skin, to make that fictional character move and talk and feel as a flesh-and-blood person by first asking, “How would I feel, what would I do, if I were this character, with this background, education, physical condition, mental state, et cetera?” Writers have to go into this mode as well. When we write fiction, we have to understand our characters so clearly that we can empathize with them from cover to cover — even if we don’t like them. We also have to understand our readers and know what’s most likely to make the right impact on them. And marketing writing requires no less.

So my challenge to you, when you’re planning that email blast or brochure or website, is to try to read the mind of your ideal prospect. Picture that person in your mind as completely as you can. Try to “become” that person long enough to get a crystal-clear idea of what that person wants, fears or needs. Then write your marketing piece to that person.

Live long and prosper.

In 1966, Yoko Ono exhibited a now-famous artwork called the “Ceiling Painting.” It was more than a painting, really — viewers had to climb a ladder and point a magnifying glass up toward the ceiling, where a framed sheet of paper awaited their gaze. On the paper was written a single word: “YES.”

Why “YES?” According to the artist, it was a reaction against the prevailing negativity in the world, an attempt to fight back with a positive attitude by “activating the ‘Yes’ element.”

I like that way of putting it, because the “Yes” element may well be the most important one in the copywriter’s Periodic Table. “Yes” carries power. “Yes” affirms. “Yes” indicates agreement. “Yes” gives permission.

I hear a lot of “pain and reward” talk when people discuss copywriting techniques. “Create the pain, then take it away.” Paint a dismal picture of the reader’s current problem, then part the clouds to reveal the radiant glow of your solution to the problem. But during the recent economic crisis, I found that the last thing people wanted from a marketing message was a pain statement — they had plenty of pain already, thank you. Adding yet another dismal picture to their gallery of misery served merely to turn them away.

What worked instead? The power of “Yes.” Going against the prevailing funk to snap people out of it. Starting positive and staying there, while cranking up the excitement level until it was the reader’s cue to buy or call or whatever. A pain statement can work well in a relatively cheery economic environment, because there you’re going against the grain to get the reader’s attention. But when people want to feel better, give them what they want!

“Yes” also gets people agreeing with you. A string of “Yes” answers to your questions can prime your audience for the big “Yes” at the end: “Do you need a change?” YES. “Are you ready for that change to happen?” YES. “Do you want to make that change happen today?” YES. “Then whip out that credit card and call us right now!” YES!

Does the “Yes” element work? John Lennon thought so, in recounting his first glimpse of the future Mrs. Lennon’s painting: “I would have been quite disappointed if it had said ‘NO.’”

Last week I missed a blog entry. I think this is the first or second time in over a year. However long it’s been, the streak is over.

It was just one of those things. I was deep into other work, including ghost-blogging for clients so THEY wouldn’t have to miss their regularly scheduled posts, when I turned my weary eyes to my blog stockpile and saw — nothing. The cupboard was bare. I had nothing to post.

Of course I could’ve whipped up an article quickly; professional writers are pretty good at that sort of thing. Or I could’ve just posted the following week as if nothing had happened (okay, technically “nothing” is exactly what happened, but you know what I mean), whistling to myself and avoiding eye contact with studied nonchalance. “Last week? Huh? By the way, here’s this week’s article.”

But I’m doing neither of those things. I blew it. I dropped a blog post. And it’s significant, because it shows that anyone can get behind the 8-ball on blogging, even those of us who should know better and are in the business of keeping others from making that very same mistake.

What’s the big deal? First of all, each blog post represents fresh content. Google loves fresh content. Additionally, every post you publish gives you something new to link to from your various social networks, forums, of other online hangouts. More links on heavily-traveled websites equals more inbound traffic to your site. So with every blog post we skip, we’re blowing off potential new readers.

Second, an irregular blog won’t sustain a regular audience. I know people — business owners, yet — who blog maybe once every four months, twice a year, or at crazy random increments. They can’t have a regular readership, because there’s nothing regular to read — how can the target audience possibly guess when the next post will come out? They can’t, so they don’t try. That blog becomes invisible. Regular readership comes from regular posts — once a day, once a week, once a month, whatever. You have to condition your audience to come back for more, and that includes their knowing when to expect more.

So today I’m working on my blog stockpile. Hopefully you’re doing the same, or you have a writer who offers regular ghost-blogging services to keep you in articles. If your website serves as a virtual stock-ticker or provides other kinds of up-to-the-minute news, then your blogs may have to come more frequently. But a stockpile of solid, timeless articles will help ensure that you never have to feel this kind of embarrassment.

So do as I say, not as I do.

What is a blog, anyway? There’s no set answer. In the good old days, a “weblog” consisted of little more than online diary posts occasionally sprinkled with recommended links that the blogger had stumbled across that week. These days, a blog can be:

-An informative article
-A rant
-A review
-A debate topic
-A request for info or help
-A news item or alert
-A humorous interlude
-A meditation
-A lecture

…or just about anything else that fits the needs and personality of the blogger.

A business blog, of course, has its own requirements. The tone of the blog has to match the tone of the company’s overall brand or message. A dark-humor piece about death, for instance, might not work too well on a funeral home’s website. (An extreme example, but you get the idea.) A business blog that includes helpful information related to its field can help the business or its owner build a reputation as an industry expert while converting tire-kickers into customers and fans.

How long should a blog post run? Speaking as an expert in the field — I have no idea. I hear all kinds of things from various sources that have their own opinions. My answer is, “Long enough and no longer,” depending on your subject matter and your audience. The posts I write as part of my Blogger’s 4-pack product tend to run about 300 words each, give or take, which strikes me as a nice compromise between an easy-to-read blurb and a full-blown article. Darren Rowse of Problogger recommends a broad range of 250 to 1000 words for SEO purposes while pointing out out that no one really knows anything. Your mileage may vary.

Does a blog always have to include articles? Not at all. Blog posts can take the form of video clips, photo galleries, podcasts, or any other media that can be uploaded and accessed by the reader. And there’s nothing wrong with the old tried-and-true recommended links. I tend to write articles because, well, I’m a writer. A videographer might choose to post videos. A painter might choose to post image files. Whatever gets you more web traffic and boosts your reputation, do it. Or hire me to do it. Either way, happy blogging!

When developing your marketing niche, it pays to examine what others have done to set themselves apart. And no one does this more effectively, in my opinion, than that ultimate service provider, the comic book superhero.

Think about it. Each superhero fights crime, but in his or her own peculiar way, using a unique set of powers or skills. They even name themselves after their methods or approach and wear colorful costumes to turn themselves into human billboards. These guys are marketing geniuses.

Examples:

Batman – Also known as the Dark Knight, Batman holds Gotham City, and his readers, in a mix of fear and awe. He stalks the city at night, dressed as a bat, clearly deranged from his traumatic youth, and loaded with all the money and toys it takes to accomplish his agenda. He’s scary — or at least he was, until Hollywood got ahold of him (though I suppose Adam West is disturbing enough in his own special way). Batman strikes fear into the hearts of villains and innocent citizens alike. He needs no explanation, introductions or justifications — he’s freakin’ BATMAN.

Superman – He’s the super one. Seriously, of all the superheroes out there, Superman represents the Big Cheese, the final boss, the 800-pound gorilla. He’s the one who can fly, zip from planet to planet, and throw skyscrapers at people. He holds the pre-eminent place among all those caped guys and gals. If you need a task performed that even a superhero couldn’t possibly do, call this guy and he’ll pencil it into his busy schedule.

Spiderman – Spiderman comes in especially handy when you need to defeat evil with sarcasm. He’s the cool one, the glib guy with the perfect one-liner for any occasion. And he swings from building to building on his own spider webs, because he’s just a swingin’ dude, you know? Spiderman is the hipster’s superhero.

The Flash – He’s really, really fast. That’s about it, but you’d be amazed how useful that skill can be on the right occasion. The original Flash wore a little helmet like the Greek god Hermes (that other fast guy), and in later years his successor got aerodynamic and ditched the hat for a form-fitting headpiece with little wings on each side. Oh, and a lightning blot on his chest. Lightning is fast, see.

Aquaman – He, you know, swims around and stuff. And he communicates telepathically with sea creatures. Okay, I admit I’m a little fuzzy on exactly what Aquaman’s unique value proposition is, but at least his brand is clear enough. He’s THE underwater superhero, so he enjoys an exclusive hold on his target market. Whoever that is.

I’m not telling you to go applying glitter to a pair of long-johns in preparation for your next networking mixer. I’m just saying that a clear, recognizable identity matters. If you’re a carpenter, for instance, you have to declare what sets you apart from a dozen other carpenters. Are you bigger, faster, cheaper, better? You can’t be all things to all people — but then, the Flash got along fine not being Batman. When you need to scare the dickens out of a street gang, by all means shine the Bat Signal. But when you have a need for speed, you know who to call.

Even as a copywriter, I’ve had to brand myself according to my strengths. I’m better at dazzling than explaining, so I promote myself that way on my website and elsewhere. I’m in the excitement business. That’s my cape and cowl.

What’s yours?

April Fool’s Day is coming. You know what that means — office pranks (ranging from the mildly amusing to the epic in scope), phony news stories, Rickrolling galore, and other moments of assorted oddness scattered throughout the day. Common sense tells me to hide under the bed until the 2nd, but instead I’m scheduled to give a presentation at my BNI chapter. Somebody must be trying to tell me something.

The trouble with April Fool’s Day jokes is that the difference between making people laugh and making them want to kill you is pretty much a coin toss. You have to know who your friends are, whether they can take a joke, how much of a joke they can take, and whether the joke has the potential to cause legitimate harm, physical or emotional. The wrong gag at the wrong moment can burn bridges faster than a swarm of angry, torch-laden medieval villagers.

It’s a tricky business — in real life, and in marketing.

Marketers use misdirection all the time. We’ve all encountered the “informative medical article” that turns out to be an ad for a nutritional supplement or an exercise machine or the Miracle Insole That Will Change Your Life. We’ve all been swerved by TV commercials that look for all the world like a trailer for a compelling new movie until the action hero draws a Big Gulp instead of a laser pistol. We get duped, we follow along, and when the curtain rises on the truth we say, “Ahhh, I see! So that’s where you were going. Very impressive (or funny, as the case may be). I’m sold.”

That’s what you say, right? Or do you react differently?

Let’s say you were doing serious research on that medical topic for a journal article with a tight deadline, or a business colleague who needs data, or your grandma who desperately seeks relief for her rare, terminal toenail disease. You get to the end of the “article” and find you’ve been duped. Still smiling?

Or let’s say you’re sitting in the movie theater, watching that killer trailer and making a mental note that you’ve GOT to tell your friends about this film and pre-purchase tickets for the preview — only to find yourself viewing a commercial instead. If you admire creativity, you might concede the cleverness behind the effort and return your attention to your popcorn. If, on the other hand, you really wanted to see that movie….

Don’t get me wrong. Misdirection works, as long as the intended audience (a) is in the mood to follow the rabbit trail wherever it may lead, and (b) might have a genuine interest in what they finally find. But you must know your audience, just as you must know whose door you’re propping a pail of water on top of. And whether they’re dressed for a funeral that afternoon. Yeah, I sweat the small stuff.

By the way, if you disagreed with the content of this blog — I was just kidding. If you liked it, then I was serious.