Scott's Blog - Page 41 of 67 - Scott Flood Writing

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

USING SIMPLE EXAMPLES TO CONVEY COMPLEX CONCEPTS

May 14, 2014 by Scott Flood

There are times when writers need to convey complex, difficult concepts to audiences that may not have the same level of knowledge as the organization that is sending the message. A simple solution that works wonders in those situations is the use of analogies, similes, and metaphors. When you can distill something complicated into something … 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.

IS IT TIME FOR A NEW MARKETING APPROACH?

March 19, 2014 by Scott Flood

You’re just not pleased with the way things are going. Sales seem to be down, despite that new marketing campaign you launched three months ago. And frankly, you’re tired of it. So toss it aside and come up with something new.

Bad idea. And I say that as someone who profits when companies need brand-new marketing approaches, because it usually means that they need a new website, brochures, advertising — all those things they hire people like me to help them create.

NEGLECTING THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR WEBSITE?

March 12, 2014 by Scott Flood

When it comes time to develop a new website, companies and organizations spend a lot of time agonizing over what the site should be like. They consider all sorts of different designs and spend hours trying to get the functionality exactly where they want it. They make list after list of possible pages.

And then, they just slap some content in place.

ALL OPINIONS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

February 26, 2014 by Scott Flood

I once worked for an advertising agency at which every logo design and brochure had to pass an incredibly difficult test. At the end of the workday, one of the partners would put the piece in his briefcase, bring it home, and show it to his wife. As a result, we produced a lot of work that looked alike, usually using the same two or three colors (which I assume also dominated their home’s décor).

You might chuckle at the idea of a high-powered advertising executive basing his decision about what was best for client needs on Mrs. Executive’s personal likes and dislikes, but are you guilty of the same approach?

HOW MANY REWRITES ARE NEEDED?

February 19, 2014 by Scott Flood

Of all the lessons I learned in my college days — at least of the ones I’ll admit to in a public post — one of the most important was the value of rewriting. A first draft is just that — the first shot at getting everything organized on the paper (or onscreen). Rewriting gives you the opportunity to refine and improve what you’ve done.

Sometimes, people ask how many times they should rewrite something, and my answer is always the same: however many times it needs. That’s not a flip answer. At times, one rewrite is enough to make something work, while other words might need to be trimmed and polished a dozen times.