If you bring a group of business owners or managers together and ask them the most effective way to promote their organizations, you’ll get a wide range of answers and little agreement. One may insist on blogging, another on radio spots, a third on coupon envelopes, and a fourth may affirm billboards are the only […]
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How a kid kept my business
We enjoyed the quick-service restaurant’s food, but their service was often way beyond poky. That evening, I called in our large order and was told it would be ready at 5:45. Arriving at exactly 5:46, I discovered that only was my order not ready; nobody had even begun to prepare my food. The manager shrugged, […]
Recent webinar on web writing
Recently presented a webinar on writing for the web for Level Two Coworking in Plainfield. I appreciate the opportunity to educate businesses about making their online presence more effective! Webinar presented in May 2020 for Level Two Coworking
The secret to cloning your customers
There’s a way you can “clone” your best customers, so you’re able to do business with more of them. It starts by really getting to know your current customers. The more you understand the reasons your customers chose you and what they really think about you — as opposed to what you believe they really […]
Accentuate the positive, but own up to the negative
Long before Norman Vincent Peale penned the book that uncovered the power of positive thinking, advocates of similar philosophies promoted positive attitudes and messages as a critical component of success. As the Second World War drew to a close, Johnny Mercer’s “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” dominated the airwaves and jukeboxes. Even today, you’ll hear people urge […]
Survey says: now I hate your company
I admire companies that make the extra effort to survey customers of their products and services. That is, except when their approach to surveying makes me never want to do business with them again. Taking the time to follow up with the people who buy your products or use your services, gauge their satisfaction, and […]
COWERING CAN COST YOU BUSINESS
Sometimes, businesses have to deliver bad news to customers. That’s a fact of life, but it’s rarely easy to do. In most cases, the best way to do it is just that — do it, get it done, and move on. If the business relationship is solid, it will withstand one instance of bad news. […]
PUBLICATION SECRET: PLANT SOME EVERGREENS
In a recent entry, I mentioned the value of a good swipe file for newsletter development. Another very handy tool is what are known as “evergreen” articles. What’s an evergreen article? It’s simply a story that provides general information, will always be appropriate for the audience, and isn’t time-sensitive. For a financial institution, evergreen […]
INSIDERS DON’T ALWAYS HAVE THE INFORMATION
There are many reasons that companies will try to handle their marketing communications needs in-house. Sometimes, budget is the primary driver, but more often, there’s a belief that nobody in the outside world could ever understand the company as well as its employees. That’s probably true, and it’s exactly why an outsider offers you […]
WHY DO QUESTIONS WORK SO WELL?
If your goal is to involve your readers in what you’re writing (or selling), ask them a question or three. While some poorly informed marketers steer away from using questions out of fear that the wrong answers will crop up, the reality is that questions are a time-proven way to engage readers. The key […]