Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

Let’s get this out there:  writing is hard.  Writing about your business?  Even harder.  As I help clients refine their communications, I am reminded again and again of the importance of voice.  Unfortunately, many business owners either never think about voice, or assume that their own will do just fine.  I’m here to challenge those assumptions.  Here are six ways to find your voice:

Know what you’re looking for.  What is voice, anyway?  It’s the sum total of your words, the impression left by your word choices, grammar, sentence length, paragraph structure, and style.  Hard to define, but easy to recognize, voice creates expectations and delivers information in a unique, recognizable way.

Go back to basics. What values and goals are behind your business?  Your voice should reflect them consistently, religiously.  If you’re committed to simplifying your clients’ lives, why are you bombarding them with complex sentences and long, droning copy?  Get clear about why you’re talking, and let voice flow from there.

Be unique.  Take a look at what others are doing…then dare to be different.  If you don’t understand what makes you stand out from the pack, how can you be sure that others will?  Take some time to brainstorm the qualities that make your company and approach unique.  Look at the list before you write.

Kick assumptions to the curb.  It’s easy to assume that your clients will respond to a certain writing style…until it turns out that they hate it, or are turned off by it, or don’t get it.  It’s even easier to assume that your writing won’t pass muster.  Question those assumptions at every turn, and chuck the ones that are getting in the way of your communications.

Trust your reader.  Writing creates relationship, a subtle give and take between reader and writer.  Resist the temptation to overtell or oversell.  You’ll overwhelm your reader and cloud your voice (two major no-nos).

Chill out. It can be scary to commit to a particular identity for your business, but guess what?  Everything is impermanent, and you’re allowed to tinker, waffle, even change your mind.  So relax…better to try and fail than do nothing.

Image courtesy of It’s Holly

It’s planning season, the most wonderful time of the year, and my clients are doubtless sick of me harping again, again, and yet again on the “consistency is key” message.

Confession:  I myself have been guilty of less-than-consistent marketing in 2009, as evidenced by this languishing blog.

The good news:  having confessed and accepted, I’m ready to change.

VOCO has scheduled its own brand strategy retreat for early December and is excited about the launch of its new, improved, more-helpful-than-ever-before (we promise) offerings and site.

In the meantime, what “no-duh” moments have you had lately?  What marketing advice do you know you should follow…but don’t?

We’ve been asked so many times in the last month what we recommend for clients in these uncertain financial times that the answer bears repeating:

Chill out!  Keep on marketing!

Yes, it’s somewhat self-serving to suggest that our clients continue doing the very activity we provide for a living, but the answer isn’t just a facile brush-off.  Panic, desperation, and a sense of lack are the first steps down the road of instability, decay, and stagnation for your business.

I repeat:  Chill out!  Keep on marketing!

Why keep truckin’ when times get rough?  Isn’t marketing a luxury item?  You may think so if you have a full or near-full client roster, but the reality is sad and simple:  you are engaged in a daily battle for your clients’ and potential clients’ valuable time.  If you’re not on the top of the heap and first in their minds, you’re not doing enough marketing…and you’re going to be expendable when they start making decisions that affect their bottom lines.  In fact, an economic downturn is a great time to expand your marketing!  Why?  Because when they’re ready to spend again, your clients will remember you and your business.  Guess who’ll be at the top of the to-call list when business picks back up?

It’s hard to overstate the fear and uncertainty that is permeating our media, our culture, and our daily lives these days.  That can be bad news for your business…a bit of doomsday thinking and you’re ready to move into a bunker with your kids, your cats, and your Toaster Strudels and wait out the coming storm.  But are you willing to let your business become a casualty of your own fear?  I didn’t think so.

In times of stress and hardship, turn to what you know.  Turn to those routinized tasks that can make the difference between sink and swim.  I’m talking a commitment to your blog, your monthly e-newsletter, your networking and your follow-up calls.  A tiny bit of footwork and a re-commitment to even a shoestring marketing budget can prep your business for the long haul.

Here are some great links for dealing with stress and anxiety around today’s economic climate:

• Career Couch:  How to Quell Financial Anxiety [New York Times, login may be required]
• Talking Truth to Fear [The Fluent Self]
• Tips for Surviving Tough Economic Times [Trish Thomas, Akamai Consulting]

As someone who has been inundated with requests for representation (?) and publicity for different causes, I was overjoyed to read the Open Letter to Fitness and Health Brands Pitching to Bloggers at Stephanie Quilao’s excellent Back in Skinny Jeans blog.  Stephanie lays it out honestly to brands who want her to cover their products…but aren’t prepared to take the time to find out who she is, craft an interesting pitch, or respect her business. She hits the nail on the head when she says:

Your pitch should not be all about you, it should first be about my audience and next me the blogger, and how my readers will benefit from your product or service, and how I the blogger will benefit by posting about your product. [Italics mine]  As a blogger this is what I care about; relevance, quality, traffic, exposure, and revenue.

So many people pitch from a purely self-motivated perspective.  They forget that, whether it’s a blog or a major newspaper, audience matters.  If you have the demographic wrong or are just plain opting for the blanket cover-every-possible-base approach, your chances of success are woefully small compared to if you targeted one or two publications that you researched, read, and analyzed.

Bottom line:  do your homework.  A little respect for the people who could enhance your career goes a long way.

Fall is finally in the air and everything seems crisp and focused.  It’s the time of year when everyone seems to start looking ahead, preparing for a big push and scheduling tons of events before the end-of-year madness rears its head.

Here at VOCO Creative, it’s a reflective and productive time.  We’re making big plans for the future and focusing on our own marketing and branding campaigns to make sure there is a future for our business.  With all the news about economic instability, it’s easy to freak out and buy into the financial panic that prevails on every television set and headline.  In that vein, I’m loving Christine Kane’s post on stopping a recession in its tracks (can you tell she’s a blog favorite?).

Advertising Age ran a great article about how important it is to continue advertising and marketing during a downturn.  Though people are cutting down on spending, an eyes-on-the-prize approach will float any business during this recession.

The OMD study tested consumer feelings about advertising and found that 81% said advertisers need to continue to communicate about their products during a recession, adding that they’ll be more receptive to cost-savings messages and products that are positioned as investments.

My mantra as I help my clients move forward through uncertain times:  Panic?  Bad.  Progress?  Good. It doesn’t get much easier than that!