General rants Archives - Page 19 of 28

CIRCLE-Cs AND R-BALLS

September 3, 2014 by Scott Flood

A common source of confusion for many company owners and marketers is the world of copyrights and trademarks. While I’ll never claim to be an attorney or an expert on intellectual property, working in the advertising and marketing industry for many years has given me a good practical education in these legal methods for protecting … Read more

STILL MORE GOOFS AND GAFFES

July 9, 2014 by Scott Flood

“Will instant replay settle baseball’s furries?” That was the headline on an online story in the Hendricks County Flyer. I didn’t read the story, so I’m not sure whether it was a discussion of arguments between mascots or just a misspelling of “furies.” I’m also not sure if someone stumbled onto a miracle … Read more

JUST DON’T GET TOO PERSONAL

June 25, 2014 by Scott Flood

I nearly always advocate making marketing communications as personal as possible. The more that your website, brochures, emails, and all the rest reach out to your stakeholders on a one-to-one level, the more receptive they’ll be to your message. Most humans enjoy building personal connections with others, even when those others are actually companies. The … Read more

DON’T USE FAKE PHOTOS

June 18, 2014 by Scott Flood

I was leafing through what I thought was a great local tourism publication. It was well-written and well-designed, and the photography of local landmarks and amenities was outstanding. And then I noticed the full-page photograph opposite the Lodging page. It was of a maid in a luxurious hotel throwing open the drapes and revealing the … Read more

YOU MIGHT NEED TO PREP TOMATOES SOMEDAY

May 21, 2014 by Scott Flood

One of the most common mistakes made by marketers is trying to cram too much information into their communications materials. It’s often the result of saying “well, we probably need to mention this … and this … and this,” along with a bit of “well, there’s some empty space. How can we fill it?” … Read more

YOUTH SPORTS AND LESSONS FROM CRUMMY CHILDHOODS

April 16, 2014 by Scott Flood

(I hope my three regular readers will forgive a brief departure from advice about marketing and writing. As this spring’s youth sports seasons start up, I’d like to share an essay I wrote several years ago. Hope you enjoy it.)

I guess it’s human nature for people to want their children to have the things they lacked as youngsters. Maybe it’s because we remember how badly we wanted the things our parents couldn’t afford or simply chose to deny us. Or maybe it’s because giving our kids abundance allows us to flaunt our own successes.

MAKE IT CONNECT BY MAKING IT REAL

April 9, 2014 by Scott Flood

People relate to other people more readily than to ideas. That’s why one of the most powerful sales tools available to marketers is the “real-life” example. I tossed those cute little quote marks around ral-life, because the truth is that most of those examples are fictionalized.

Now, just because they’re fiction doesn’t mean they don’t reflect the truth. The key is to take a common experience that represents many people, and turn it into a believable (but fictional) character. It’s not illegal or unethical, as long as everyone understands that it’s just an example to explain a concept.

A BULLET POINT IS ONLY A STARTING POINT

April 2, 2014 by Scott Flood

When creating a website, a brochure, or an ad, many people believe that the best approach is to be as simple and straightforward as possible. And, for many of those people, being simple and straightforward means using brief bullet points instead of sentences and paragraphs.

“The only thing that matters is the facts” they say. “Nobody has time for fluff” they insist. “All anyone cares about is the down and dirty” they declare. “We’re far too serious and too busy for anything else,” they aver. “People make decisions by using facts,” they assert.

THERE IS NO HOLY GRAIL IN MARKETING

March 26, 2014 by Scott Flood

From an early age, our minds are trained to pursue the single answer that’s best for any situation. Whether it’s a question on a math test, a color choice for our living room, a career path, or a religion, we tend to believe that there is one single choice that rules out all others.

But when it comes to marketing, that’s rarely wise. Business owners will try to identify the marketing or advertising strategy that will be most productive for them. They’ll try radio advertising, and when that doesn’t produce the results they want, they’ll switch to sending direct mail, and when that doesn’t create a jump in sales, they’ll buy cable TV commercials, and when that falls short of their expectations, they’ll try a new online strategy … and it goes on and on.