Until Thanksgiving 2009... or the day after... when the report came out about him crashing into a tree outside his home at 2am. Now...that's fishy. But we still BELIEVED. Nothing of true substance would come out of it, right? We held on to that holier-than-thou persona - the one that seemingly perpetuated his selfish facade - until he came out and actually admitted he'd committed "transgressions." And yet the very Tiger-esque stonewalling continued. No, I didn't expect a full-on explanation. After all, everyone deserves some privacy, especially when it comes to your marriage. But he's a public figure. AND he's a gigantic brand. Those of us schleps who watch him hit that golf club any time he steps onto a course... we helped elevate him to that stature he used to commit those "transgressions." At some point, in addition to his wife and family, we too deserved some honesty. And no I don't mean I wanted the sordid details. I was looking for contrition. Authenticity. TRUE emotion. But I don't believe that's what we got. Instead we got practiced speeches and canned responses. To be seriously cliche, this Tiger doesn't change his spots.

As a result, I have not forgiven him. I won't buy any more of his merchandise. I don't watch him play. I want him to get booed. I laughed when I heard about the plane flying overhead at the Masters mocking him (although I think they could have come up with something better). I don't care that he's (maybe) still a golf god... I don't want to support someone I don't like as a person. So the Tiger Woods debacle equals a huge PR FAIL for me.

Now, on a non-sports but much more serious topic is the recent BP Oil disaster and...

BP CEO Tony Hayward 
Okay so as a Florida resident who lives 10 minutes away from the Gulf beaches, the millions of gallons of oil that have spewed into our ocean hit especially close to home for me. But as if the loss of lives, livelihoods, environment and so much more isn't bad enough, we have to listen to Mr. Hayward himself spew comments such as:

"There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I'd like my life back."
and
"the Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume." 

Where does one even begin with explaining the disastrous statements coming out of Hayward's mouth? It's a true disaster almost as big as the one his company created in the Gulf. The point for this blog post, however, is is that not only is there no end in sight to this sickening situation, but with Hayward's seemingly complete lack of concern for anyone but himself or his company's precious bottom line he has not a prayer of earning anyone's sympathy or forgiveness.

My point in all this?
Sure, everyone makes mistakes...no one is perfect. But it's how you respond to the mistakes that makes the difference (well, that and the size of the infraction... but that's a topic for another time). So if you or your company find yourself in a public relations crisis, forget the examples set by those who control everything, pay countless amounts of money for out-of-date practices or are simply too selfish to have concern for others. No, take a lesson from Jim Joyce. Try a little contrition. Genuinely CARE. Like I said before... give a damn. And you'll climb out of the crisis - maybe not unscathed - but certainly with a lot more grace... and support. 

Consider going to a restaurant for the first time. You walk in, and the ambiance is wonderful, the hostess is friendly, the aroma is enticing. When seated at your table, however, you notice crumbs lingering from the previous diners. Then you wait what seems like an eternity for your server to arrive. Although you consider leaving, your server shows up, and thankfully she’s perfectly pleasant. So your hopes are renewed, especially after you see the menu. Mmm mmm. The wine list is also fantastic. You choose your favorite Sauvignon Blanc, yet when your server returns with an only slightly chilled white wine, she fumbles with the corkscrew and drips a little too much on the table. Your appetizer soon arrives and is delicious. But when your entrée is served, it’s quite tasty, though cold from obviously sitting too long. And you had to ask for water refills all night. So while the restaurant had a lot of promise and a few high points, it just didn’t hit the mark. Maybe you should have left after all. You certainly won’t be back.

What does this scenario have to do with your marketing communication? Copyediting? Simply put, if your prospects have to look past several errors and other issues in your content they may not bother to take the time or clear the budget to find out just how great your product or service really is. Or if they happen to give you a chance yet the lack of attention to detail continues, they could be “one-and-done” with you. After all, if you don’t pay attention to the details of your own company, why should your customers think you will treat their business any differently?

The good news is that editing can and will help you focus on the details of your marketing communication. Before signing off with the printer or pushing the publish button on your website or blog, go over your marketing content and ask several questions.

Question 1: Could your copywriting be tweaked to read more easily? Take this example I recently found online:

Promo: If you have a coupon for a discount. The above price is without discount. You will enter your coupon during the checkout process.

Sure, you get what they’re trying to communicate. But it isn’t as easily understood or clear as it could be. Instead, how about:

Promo: The above price reflects no discount. If you have a coupon or promo code, please enter it at checkout.

Question 2: Are your facts and figures correct?  Missing an error or inaccuracy is very easy to do when you’ve looked at a piece of writing many times. Yet the result can be costly. For example, maybe you only meant to offer a 15% discount and not a 25% discount. Or if you’ve been in business since 1935 but inadvertently typed in 1995, your company may have take a 60-year hit on longevity, trust and tradition.

Question 3: Did you rely on spell-check? It’s certainly not foolproof and can lead to errors that can be embarrassing. Take the business that requests help stocking its food panty for the holidays. Now, I’m sure the less fortunate could sometimes use some new panties, but I’m guessing a well-stocked food pantry would be more helpful. (Yep, that’s a true story.)

Some other copyediting questions to consider: Did you use a lot of industry jargon that your readers may not understand? Could you have used a numeral or symbol to help a particular part of your message stand out? Are your headlines and calls to action compelling?

One other word of caution: don’t depend on a stunning “look” to get you by because your graphic design is only going to get you so far. Yes, your marketing must look good -- it’s going to catch a prospect’s eye and build/maintain your credibility. That’s only one aspect of the communication process, though. Remember why you’re creating the brochure, website or newsletter (or whatever piece) in the first place - to communicate! – and make sure to invest just as much time into your content so you can achieve the results you’re looking for. And part of that investment must be copyediting. Yes, it can be a major undertaking, but many times it’s the small changes that make a big difference.

Now it’s your turn to weigh in. Is editing an issue with your company or organization? Do you invest as much time as you would like to on making sure the details are covered in your copywriting? If you don’t spend much time on editing, why not? Has editing – or a lack of editing – had an effect on your business in some way? What’s your take?

So, for the letter “D” I originally planned on writing about the role of design (as in graphic or creative design) in business communication. Maybe I’ll actually get to that one day, but something recently happened with one of my clients that changed my mind for this post. We were wrapping up a copywriting project and she said she had a new one for me…. a letter. But she had recorded her thoughts on her phone and wanted to know if I was okay with her sending me the audio file and writing the letter from it. A sort of dictation, if you will. Now, a couple of stereotypes come to mind when I think of dictation. First is a bleary-eyed doctor sitting in his pitch-black office beside the glow of a single desk lamp and speaking into his trusty hand-held recorder about his patients. Second is a polyester-clad businessman rattling off thoughts at a mile-a-minute to his cowering yet frantic secretary in some old-school sitcom.

Neither of these stereotypes, I’d never worked with a client through dictation before. But I was certainly willing. And it worked out beautifully. That got me to thinking… maybe verbally dictating thoughts, points and information would be easier, less daunting and much quicker for non-writers to communicate what they want and need from their copywriters. I can’t tell you how many times the process has come to a complete halt when I suggest that a client jot down some notes on what they want. It’s because, as I eventually realized, while writing comes easily to me, it doesn’t to everyone (shocker, I know...) – even if it’s just an outline. Instead, I frequently rely on interviewing my clients and making my own notes. But this dictation thing could definitely be another option. See, in the case of my client, she had given me a verbal outline, which gave me a loose idea of what she was looking for but also allowed me to use my writing experience and skills to craft an effective final letter. So, if you’re a natural talker instead of a natural writer, the pressure is now off. Just download some audio recording software (like Audacity) to your computer, and you’re off and running. Or, with the right kind of cell phone or a digital voice recorder, you can get your thoughts out while you walk your dog, on your way to work, while eating lunch in the park or, still, just at your desk.

The more I think about dictating your marketing communication, the more I like it. It really fits in with my goal to free clients’ time up to do other parts of their jobs… those parts that can’t be outsourced. Maybe even those things they actually like to do.

What about you? Would it be helpful for you to dictate to your copywriter what you want to communicate in a letter, brochure, article, landing page or press release?  Please comment on this post to let me know. I’d love to hear how this could work or has already worked for you.

Copywriting
Here’s another true basic like advertising. But sometimes, especially for small business owners, the term “copywriting” is misleading. When it is misunderstood, probably the No. 1 response I get is “Oh, I have been wanting to copyright my (fill in the blank here). You can help me with that?” Ehhhh, no.

Technically speaking, according to Wikipedia, copywriting is the use of words to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. In my words, copy (as it’s commonly called) is the writing used for your business communications, including brochures , ads, articles, newsletters, websites and more. (Check out my portfolio to see some of my copywriting work.) In other words, copywriting is your marketing communications.

But writing is writing….right? Again…ehhhh, no. In your business writing, consider whom you’re writing for, and in which medium.

You’re not writing for you. What you care about or think is important (maybe… your widget’s new technology, the bottom line, projected sales, number of conversions, etc.) likely isn’t at all what your audience cares about or thinks is important (benefits, solutions, etc.). Even writing about the same subject matter will differ depending on for whom you’re writing. So say your company is launching a new product. Your sales staff would need all the details, while your suppliers would want to know how it’s going to change how they do business with you, while your customers would want to know how it will help them. Different audiences equal different content, and none of the audiences is you.

In addition to audience, consider the medium in which you’re writing and create content accordingly.  Yes, you can and should have an overall “voice” that reflects your brand throughout all your marketing efforts. But the content shouldn’t be exactly the same from piece-to-piece or place-to-place. Just think about it. You’re passing out a tri-fold brochure at a trade show. It piques the interest of your prospects, so they go looking for more at your website and…. it’s the same copy, word-for-word, from your brochure. Uh oh, you probably lost them because you didn’t give them more. This is not to mention that your website really should be written with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind, while SEO wouldn’t at all be a consideration for a printed piece. Copy for most mediums should be written differently to serve different purposes. So, a letter should be written differently than a more casual blog post than an email than a traditional press release than a direct-to-consumer press release.

And overall, clean it up! Your grammar and spelling, that is. I recently got an e-newsletter that read “…asses the damage…” Um, did you mean assess? I also received a request to help an organization restock its food panty. Hmmm, sounds like the poor food pantry is really going to miss out on a good time. Cleaning up errors like these says you care enough about your business and audience to take those extra couple of steps to make it right. After all, if you don’t pay attention to details like this, how do people know the same isn’t the case for your product or service? So don’t rely on spell check. Make sure to run everything past someone with a keen eye for these things. You could even hire someone to edit for you. Copywriters often offer copyediting (there’s another “c” word!) as a service in addition to writing content from scratch (and some of us love it!).

So what about a copyright? That’s legal mumbo-jumbo having to do with intellectual property and exclusive rights. Trust me, you’ll want to leave that to your attorneys and not me or likely any other professional copywriter.

Let’s stay on the “C” theme with….

Content
There’s that word I used a lot in the previous paragraphs. It’s easy enough to guess that content is another way of saying copy. I’ll refer to Wikipedia again with content is “… information and experiences that may provide value for an end-user/audience…” But it’s also much more than just words or information. Think about the popular real estate mantra of location, location, location. Well, in today’s marketing climate the mantra is content, content, content. Yes, it’s that important.

Sure you’ve used your corporate content before to inform customers and prospects. But creating and disseminating more and better content is even more crucial these days in order to also connect with your customers and prospects. And it’s easier than ever before to spread your message with the Internet and many social media tools out there like Twitter and Facebook. (That’s why when you hear the term “content” it’s often associated with web content. Although, I believe it can apply to any content you create.) It has to be great, though. And honest and engaging and meaningful. The result is you’ll make an impression on those you’re trying to communicate with while at the same time establishing yourself as a true expert in your industry. And you can easily see what will come next.

So, what’s your “C” in the “alphabet” of marketing communications?? Feel free to add your comments. D and E are coming soon!!

Depending on whom you ask, you could get many answers to that question. But a recent milestone for my family inspires me to answer with just: the basics. See, my 5-year-old daughter, Skylar, started Kindergarten this Fall, and the basics are what her class has been focusing on so far. Establishing the rules, learning to share, writing and saying the alphabet, counting….you know, all the All-I-Really-Need-To-Know-I-Learned-In-Kindergarten kind of things.

So I thought maybe it’s a good time to get back to the basics with my version of things: the ABCs of marketing communication - with a focus on your marketing message, of course.

So class, let’s begin.

A - Advertising:

Good thing this starts with an “a” because advertising is about as basic as it gets. After all, everyone knows what advertising is, right? Well you might be surprised how frequently it - and variations of a traditional advertising - is confused with other methods of marketing communication.

Take for example an experience I had a while back with a new client. Initial word came that they wanted a press release. Okay, great. But as the project progressed, things got a little muddy. Long story short: the “press release” was to be sent to a specific newspaper. And they were paying to have it published. RED FLAG!

See, according to Wikipedia, advertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. To that, I would add that advertising is a paid form of communication. In the case of my client, they were looking for an advertorial, which, again according to Wikipedia, is an advertisement written in the form of an objective opinion editorial, and presented in a printed publication—usually designed to look like a legitimate and independent news story. And again, you pay for the coverage. In contrast, a traditional press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. And you don’t pay for it to be published. (There is a new world of PR, however, where the press release has a new opportunity. More on that in a later post, though.)

There are a couple of reasons it’s critical to know this information. First and foremost, if you’re doing the writing, the content and style of an ad (or any paid communication) versus a traditional press release is very different. Simply, if you’re paying for it, you can write just about whatever you want, however you want it. But with a traditional press release, you have to write for the gatekeepers, a.k.a. the editors and writers you’re sending the release to. That means there must be that news value mentioned above and it should ideally be written in the industry standard AP Style. You can quickly lose credibility with media if you don’t give ‘em what they want.

The other reason it’s important to know these differences and lingo is to save your budget… if you’re working with a copywriter like me. As in the example of my client, I wrote a traditional press release only to find out – despite lots of questions along the way – that wasn’t at all what they needed. So, I had to re-write the piece in a completely different format, tone and style, which significantly increased my fee.

So, basics lesson for letter A? Advertising is paid communications.

B - Buyer Personas

I first heard of buyer personas while listening to David Meerman Scott in a webinar as part of the 2009 Social Media Success Summit. I learned more while reading his book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR. And most recently I’ve seen that Adele Revella has an entire blog dedicated to buyer personas. So, it’s a pretty big concept. But what exactly does it mean?

In short, buyer personas are the several different types of customers you identify as having an interest in your organization and/or a need or desire to buy or use your products or services. Meerman Scott explains the concept further as breaking buyers into distinct groups and then cataloging everything you know about each one. You could even give each a name, something that’s pretty popular in the political arena. So, think ‘NASCAR Dads’ from the 2004 election or ‘Joe the Plumber’ from the 2008 election.

This is much different than the targeting you may have done in the past because it’s more than determining demographics. It’s figuring out the specific and unifying needs, wants, desires, problems, opportunities and scenarios among several groups of people within your target audience. And then by creating these buyer personas, you can create marketing content – for web or print - that’s targeted just for them.

So, basics lesson for letter B? Step away from the one-size-fits-all marketing approach and create buyer personas to better connect and communicate with your audience.

Well, I had hoped to make it to “C” in this post, but I think that’s enough to digest for now. More on the ABCs of marketing communication over the next couple weeks… Until then, what's on your marketing basics list for A & B? I'm sure the list is quite long, and I'd love to hear your ideas. Leave your comments here and let's discuss!

Maybe it’s not right for you – that’s your call. But if you do it, do it right. And that means be helpful, genuine, authentic and honest. That concept is what will make a difference in your bottom line in the end.

Okay so that’s a little bit of a rant on my part. But it does actually have something to do with your business communications. See, one of the best ways to connect with people is to give them lots of helpful information – to offer your expertise, if you will. Not just anything, but information that provides a solution, insight or answer for whatever someone is seeking at the moment you reach them. So think articles, blogs or direct-to-buyer press releases. Even easier, just answer a question from a contact in LinkedIn or re-tweet something you find on Twitter.

Is it going to get you your next big sale? Probably not (but it is possible). Will it help to position you as knowledgeable in your field? Yep. Will it help to spread your word? You betcha. The bottom line is not only will people appreciate your “realness,” but it’s just the right thing to do. Now let me ask: what’s the ROI on that?

Just yesterday I received the notification in my email inbox that @MajorPlayers was now following me on Twitter. As usual I clicked on the link to check them out and pleasantly find a tweet linking to Ben Stephens’ Top 10 Tips for Surviving the Recession. Now, this was written for people in the creative industry, like moi, your professional copywriter. But the concepts still apply to pretty much any industry or business.

One of my favorites is Stephens’ very first tip:  Don't think it will eventually go away and all will return to normal. Many of the rules by which we worked, planned and thrived are being broken. Work out what this means for your business. Adapt. Fast. 

Similar and just as crucial is Stephens’ tip #6: Build further flex into your business plan; you are going to need it. Clients' plans will continue to change throughout this year, for better, for worse. Be ready for the chat, be able to react.

Then there are his tips #7 Adversity Builds Friendships and #9 Motivate, Love and Adore. And that leads me to inspiration a la @garyvee.

I have to admit, I’m a relatively longtime follower of Gary Vaynerchuk. My husband (@sarno) introduced me to Gary’s daily wine podcast a couple of years ago and it didn’t take long for me to become an official Vaynerchick. Since then we’ve dined with him at Bern’s in Tampa and cruised with him on the Thunder Cruise this past April. That says nothing of the guys’ ongoing rivalry about the Dolphins and the Jets, but I digress…

Anyway, it turns out Gary knows about a lot more than wine. He’s on the forefront of everything web 2.0, social media and personal branding. But while I have long been inspired by, appreciated and generally passed along his words of wisdom, it wasn’t until one of his video blogs this week that I felt I actually had something to add.

His take in Why is everyone waiting for IT to happen? questions businesses and people who want to wait to see how social media will pan out before diving in... therefore missing the trend possibly at its best. He – as usual - makes some fantastic points. But I’d like to look at this from a bigger perspective, specifically as it relates to businesses and the recession…and moving forward.

Okay, okay, the economy stinks. But that’s nothing new. We’ve been in this recession for quite a while now. We’ve all gone through the shock, the worry. But now what? From a business marketing perspective, are you still feeling like a deer in headlights? Not knowing what to do, so you’re just doing nothing? If so, then take a hint from @MajorPlayers and @garyvee. Start doing something. Now. And here are some of my own tips:

1. Untrain your brain from traditional marketing and try something new. As Ben Stephens said, the marketing and promotion “game” is different now.  And like Gary says, don’t worry if you’re not perfect at it. Learn as you go. Seek wisdom and guidance from others who have the knowledge you’re looking for.

2. Don’t keep leaning on the reduced budget excuse. There are lots of new options out there that are highly effective and easy on the budget. If you must, try some of these options to complement that traditional marketing you’re used to.

3. Quit selling. Build relationships. That’s part of the new “game.” We’ve all been bombarded with selling and technical specs and sterile promotion for years. Now it’s time to genuinely connect.

Bottom line, wisely use this time before the economy picks back up. Don’t wait until that time comes (and it will come) or you’ll be playing catch up and missing lots of opportunities. Simply: adjust, plan and prepare now, and you’ll be ready to Crush It later.