Publications & Enewsletters Archives - Page 3 of 4

HOW TO DO PRINT TODAY

January 25, 2012 by Scott Flood

Print can still be very communicative, if you pay attention to how people read these days. Someone who clearly understands that is the publishers of Inc. Magazine, who recently unveiled the prototype for a new title called Build aimed at mid-size companies.

The sample page reproduced here shows how savvy print designers can connect with readers in this era of smartphones, tablets, and Web 2.0. Even though there’s a lot of text on the page, it’s broken into bite-size chunks, most of which use a bold lead-in to allow skimming readers to determine whether they need to read the entire paragraph. In fact, you can pick up the gist of the article just by reading those lead-ins.

SUCCESS STORY: AUTOMOTIVE PROBLEM-SOLVERS

December 21, 2011 by Scott Flood

For many years (before it was swallowed up by a larger company), Fel-Pro was widely regarded as an innovative designer and manufacturer of automotive engine gaskets and seals. The company sold superior products that unfortunately carried a premium price. It developed a reputation for finding solutions to sealing problems that vexed mechanics and automakers alike.

In an effort to improve its visibility and get the greatest value for its investment in PR, the company asked automotive magazine editors what type of information they needed most and just weren’t getting. Time and again, the editors asked for technical information they could pass along to their readers.

SUCCESS STORY: THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

December 14, 2011 by Scott Flood

Think schools cost too much money to build? Several Indiana state legislators and the state’s governor do, and have made attempts at cutting the cost a primary part of their agenda. A trade group of architects, contractors, engineers, and others called FAIR disagree, pointing to independent sources that show school costs in the state are far from excessive.

But when the advocates for cutting costs occupy the bully pulpit of majority leadership, it can be tough for opponents to make their voices heard. Many in the media were repeating the legislators’ claims as though they were facts. Unfortunately, the story is a complicated, multi-faceted one. How could FAIR get accurate, understandable information in the hands of media, legislators, and other key stakeholders?

SUCCESS STORY: TURNING AMATEURS INTO INVESTORS

October 19, 2011 by Scott Flood

How do you make everyday working people feel confident enough about investing that they’re willing to put more of their hard-earned dollars into your mutual funds?

General American Insurance knew that companies have two reasons to encourage 401(k) plan participation: financially secure employees are happy employees, and larger employee contributions mean managers can park a bigger share of their own earnings in the company’s plan.

ON THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EDITORS, PT. 1

July 6, 2011 by Scott Flood

Publicity is a funny animal. Those with little or no experience tend to assume one of two things: either that getting something in the newspaper or on TV involves some sort of mystical expertise, or that they have a right to demand that the media use whatever message they want to share (“Tell them to put this on page one!”)

As with so many other things, the reality is quite different from the perception. While cynics may think of publicity as a manipulative tool for influencing the news, it actually serves the important role of making the media aware of things they might not otherwise know about. Most editors and producers actually count on publicity to help them with the newsgathering process — even more so today, as staffing has been slashed to the bone. There are more pages and hours of news to fill than staff members to fill them.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PAGE?

February 9, 2011 by Scott Flood

Another simple way to gauge your copy’s potential effectiveness is to highlight it in two different colors. Whether you’re developing a letter, a brochure, a web page, or any other channel, take a few moments to highlight all of the sentences that are really about your customer and his or her needs. Let’s do that in pink. Next, highlight all the sentences that are about your company and what it does in yellow.

Now look at the page. What color is your page?

HOW CAN YOU INVOLVE READERS?

November 24, 2010 by Scott Flood

Looking for a way to catch the attention of your audience and focus their full attention on your message? Instead of telling them what you want to hear, ask them a question that matters to them.

You may have heard that asking questions in headlines and opening statements is a bad idea. For example, I once had a boss who became furious anytime I presented an ad or brochure with a question in the headline. His reasoning is that the reader might give the wrong answer and lose interest.