marketing materials

Keeping white papers and other materials up-to-date is critical

Companies often develop materials such as white papers to target marketing and communications objectives, but forget to go back and make edits as their marketplace or products and services change. When developing a white paper, new web copy, or other communications tool, most marketers start with some sort of objective and develop an outline covering … Read more

Everything you create is a marketing piece

As I pointed to a clunky phrase, the client waved me off. “Don’t worry about the language. It’s a proposal, not a marketing piece.” She saw my confusion and explained, “We don’t need to waste our time making the language flowery or sales-y sounding. This is just so we can get all the details together … Read more

What cherry tomatoes taught me about marketing materials

cherry tomatoes

Back in high school, I learned a valuable lesson about marketing materials while working as a dishwasher for a chain steakhouse. Washing dishes may be the grimiest job in most eateries, but I didn’t mind it. There were clear objectives and performance measures, the work was predictable, my co-workers left me alone, the radio made … Read more

MEET YOUR SILENT SALESPEOPLE

What is a brochure? An ad? A radio commercial? A website? You get 5 points if you said they’re all marketing communications channels. But they’re also something more. You can’t be everywhere, and that includes everywhere your prospective customers are. So you develop materials such as ads and brochures to stand in for you. In … Read more

IN GOOD VOICE

When you’re creating market and communications materials, content and design are important, but there’s a third consideration that deserves your attention: the voice used in the materials. No, not talking about the voice talent used in radio commercials – it’s the voice of the items you put into print.

What do I mean by voice? Ads, brochures, direct mail letters, and other communications tools stand in your place. They sell and inform for you when you can’t be there to do it yourself. In a way, you’re quietly sending a trusted employee into the homes and businesses of your customers and prospects.

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