Blog post? Do you need that stinking blog post?

OK, so the fact that I have not written one blog post since August does not put me in the best light to have this conversation with you (yes kids, three months is WAY too long to go between updates if you want to be deemed relevant). I'll plead guilty due to excessive work writing the blog articles for my clients, Your Honor (true story).

That being said, the question of "Does anyone really still need a blog" comes up with relative frequency among my clients and their agencies. My answer is always, "Yes, blogs are great to have for a number of reasons." Here are a few:

1 - It provides updates to your website. Search engines love fresh meat.

2 - It creates relevancy for your website/brand. When the content is aligned with what you do, that's more meat for search engines to devour. It goes without saying that it should always be something your audience wants to consume ... and share.

3 - Blog content is not limited to living only on your blog/website.  The content (usually with some slight revisions) can be:
a. Shared as a guest post on another site.
b. Posted to LinkedIn Pulse.
c. Used as a public relations pitch or as a story pitch to become an expert contributor to a publication.
d. Repurposed as a handout for a presentation.
e. Rewritten/repurposed for Slideshare, for a Powerpoint presentation, or a webinar (a slide is a slide is a slide ...).
f. Used as the basis of a video that will be posted to your website, on your video channel of choice or sent via email to your lists.

Speaking of email ...

4 - Promoting a new blog article is a reason to touch base with your clients, prospects and associates with an email. Yes, Virginia, there really is still email marketing (just ask my colleague, Susana Fonticoba of Right Click Advantage).

5 - Keeping your blog current keeps marketing copywriters employed! (Shameless plug for copywriters.) We know you're concentrating on what you do best, what you like to do, what you're good at. Copywriters who get to know your business can help make life easier for you by helping you keep your blog fresh, updated and engaging while you  handle making boat loads of money. It's a collaboration you'll be glad you've engaged in. Really!

And no, it does not have to be me. But if you're interested in finding out more, you can send me an email (caryn@starrgates.com) or give me a call (201-791-4694). Sure, we have writers here that work in a variety of industries, but I'm always happy to recommend other writers who could be a great fit for your needs.

What's Up with all the Garbage Piling up on LinkedIn Pulse?

So everyone wants to publish. And LinkedIn lets us do that. That's the good news. The bad news? Lots of "articles" that are simply promotional posts that add nothing to anyone's day except for (maybe) the person who posted it.

One of the problems is that since LinkedIn Pulse is seemingly open to everyone, the volume and quality are not being controlled, and some stinky stuff is showing up in our notifications. Am I right?

Not everyone is a writer, and not everyone has something of business value to share there that often ... and that's OK! Make it a status update if necessary, or post it on your website or your blog to promote yourself (and even that might not be so cool -- blogs, as part of your social media and content marketing efforts, should also be informational, educational, helpful, insightful, etc.). LinkedIn is a B2B social network and the publishing opportunity should contribute something to your business connections, not stuff their feeds with garbage or filler. Helpful advice, industry insights, points of view about a trend or an issue in your field are great. Thinly or not-even veiled promotion is content trash.

A client of mine, an advertising agency CEO, noted this recently during a discussion on publishing opportunities for expert byline articles; we talked about how the potential for LinkedIn to be a valuable platform for expert content has diminished due to the low quality and sheer volume of the published posts.  LinkedIn got the lowest marks in a survey cited in a recent Market Watch article and when I shared the link, I commented about how disappointed I have become in my once-favorite social network because of the quality of posts.

My colleague, Gene Sower of Samson Media, an internet marketing and social media expert, agrees. After he read the article and my opinion about it, he said: "People are posting Pulse content that is one paragraph and a link to some promotional piece ... Or posting totally promotional content without ANY value to the reader .... Just because you CAN post anything in LinkedIn Pulse does NOT mean you should. Done properly, the writer should always have the reader in mind."  We lamented about the declining quality of the posts (real estate listings, speaking engagement announcements, materials for sale);  to illustrate the point, he shared a link to post about a broadcasting award someone won over 15 years ago. It would be great on that person's website. It's not an article.

  I originally posted this on LinkedIn and I was very sure people were going to poop all over it as a rant that doesn't belong there as a published item. So be it. I threatened to write this blog post as well and maybe they'll poop on that, too. And I'll bet the LinkedIn people will be mad at me for taking them to task for not moderating published content. Oh well. I consider this a public service to my colleagues who are in agreement with me about the filler that's been appearing in LinkedIn posts.

So dear readers, before you publish on LinkedIn, please consider if you are writing and sharing an expert opinion, an industry insight, an update about your field, something pertinent to your cohort and the like. If not, please make it a status update if you're feeling the urge to put it here. Or flush it down the toilet.

Rant over. Have to go take out the garbage.

A rant about the garbage heap of posts on LinkedIn

I went on a rant today about LinkedIn posts that just pile garbage onto the content heap. I will edit it for the blog but you can read it here:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-up-garbage-linkedin-public-service-announcement-caryn-starr

Making the Most of Your Post-Event Email Marketing (Or How Not to Piss Off Other People Who Did Not Meet You There)

As noted on my LinkedIn post, I recently attended a conference sponsored by an organization of which I am a long-time member. Within a few days of the event, I received three emails from other attendees saying how nice it was to meet me there, along with a sales pitch about how they might able to help me or my clients with their products/services.

This would have been acceptable had I actually met them; I do not even know who they are (and I know a lot of other organization members)!

This really pissed me off and gave me three reasons to scratch my head over these people's email marketing process (and etiquette).

Warning: Before you send out a followup email or marketing message to some list you downloaded or  pulled together on your own, be very careful what you say, and be very mindful of who you are saying it to!

The form letters landed like lead balloons in my inbox, rather than as effective lead generation tools. These were not auto-generated responses to a request for more information (which would have been welcomed as timely followups). These were three emails by three people who are now a lesson about what not to do in marketing (digital or otherwise). Here are some ways those ill-conceived emails could have been better conceived and executed:

Create different lists for your message. Make one for fellow attendees you don't know and another for those who you actually did meet. Email marketing solution such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, aWeber, emma, etc. make this easy to do and will show recipients that you approached your marketing effort with  a grain of consciousness (since it will lead to tip #2).

Form letters can have different forms. Form letters are expedient, but the openings and closings should be modified for your different target recipients. The boilerplate openings of all three emails reflected a lack of thought about who the email was going to--an immediate turn off. If you are sending marketing communication that starts with "It was nice to meet you at ..." make sure you actually met the recipient. It is easy enough to revise the opening and closing copy for a list of fellow attendees who you did not meet but would like to.

Suggest instead of selling. I did not know the senders and had no need for or interest in whatever they were selling. However, had they used the email to provide some value to me, I might have given them a chance. There are ways to promote your products or services without being overtly promotional (the foundation of content marketing). For example, you can mention what you do and then direct the reader to a great resource, or provide a helpful tip. Had I seen any of that in the bodies of the emails, my annoyance at the bad copy choice up front might have been mitigated and given me a reason to pause before hitting "delete." At the very least, I'd have been more likely to remember the senders as professionals who want to help rather than sell.

 

Good email marketing practices.

The one thing that was right about these three emails was that the senders clearly stated the connection (the conference) so at least it was not obvious spam. If you get a list as part of a sponsorship or pull together your own, make sure to identify right at the top why the person is getting your email. Oh ... and just because I handed you a business card at a networking event does not mean I just subscribed to your e-newsletter! Please ask people in advance if they'd like to be added to your list.

If you need help crafting an email marketing message that provoke unnecessary rants among your recipients, ask me (caryn@starrgates.com) or a marketing communications professional that you work with. We'll keep you on those recipients' good sides!

When it Comes to Copywriting Clients, One Size of Writer Does Not Always Fit All

Remember Johnny Cochran's famous line about the glove during the O.J. Simpson murder trial? He had a point.

As a copywriter I consider myself a generalist--no particular industry/area of expertise, able to write about a broad range of topics and for a variety of industries or fields of endeavor with a few exceptions. But as general as I am, and as many clients I am able to work with, I have to say that sometimes, you just can't please 'em all. And sometimes, that one-writer-fits-all-clients simply doesn't fit.

I was contacted several months ago by a lovely person who is starting a new endeavor with a business partner. Could I write the copy for their new website? Sure, would love to, sounds great. But it wasn't.

Aside from the fact I did not adhere to my own process for writing website copy (having the client complete a questionnaire to gather necessary information/input, provide competitor websites as reference and identify competition in the marketplace), our writing relationship has teetered on disastrous. I blame myself for not managing the process and for not stepping out of it in time. It simply was not a good fit. We got stuck in a morass of confusing messages, stream-of-consciousness input, direction that shifted a few times; the client did not even have a company name when I dove into the project. After four drafts and about four hours of phone time and copy review, I gave up. I could not for the life of me capture their voice--the heart of the problem, I believe. I was lost in a sea of too many changes and could not find my way back to their USP, their brand promise, their mojo.

 

What Would Donald Trump Have Done?
What I should have done, after the second go-round, is politely fire myself from the project. I have since done so, asking a colleague to handle any further edits because at this point, I can't see straight! (The website developer has had similar issues with the client--they don't know what they want until they see it, many revisions, no clear direction ...)

Because it is so important to me to have happy clients, I did not charge her for a lot of the work. She paid me up front to write four pages of copy, which was the original scope of the project; I'd written two others and edited (heavily) an additional two pages at no charge since I could see this was not going so well (although I have to say, to their credit, they have been very gracious and kind on the phone). After a point I advised the client to rewrite what I gave them in the way they wanted and I'd tweak and edit it to make sure it reads well. I was gratified to see they did use some of my copy throughout, and I gave them back their edited pages. At this point I have no clue where the project stands and I'm afraid to ask. But I am relieved to not suffer through any more changes and I am betting they're also relieved to not have to explain, once again, what they are looking for that they aren't seeing on the page.

So word to me and to the wise: If you're not a good fit for the client or the copy, move on! Replace yourself with someone who is a better fit, and you'll all be happier. I know I am.

How Lack of Marketing Communication Killed Off a Favorite Restaurant

A restaurant we used to frequent monthly recently closed. Although we were saddened we were not surprised.

The restaurant was part of a chain, located in a busy shopping mall; it appears this particular concept had been acquired by another company, spun off somehow. It had several stores from Boston to New York but our local place was the last one in our area (several remain in Massachusetts, one in Rhode Island).

I could make a a case for the change in ownership being the core of the downfall and yes, the blame ultimately lies with the owners ... and their marketing missteps that led to the restaurant's closure. I think the managers we spoke to would agree.

The issue lies in the company's lack of marketing and communication with customers. Plain and simple.

Having been patrons since the restaurant's opening many years ago, we were very familiar with the menu and had our favorites. We went one night late in the spring and discovered that everything had changed. Whole new menu, a different (and ridiculous and downscale) pizza presentation, checkered cloths where white tablecloths had been. What the hell? We never saw anything in the local press about a big change coming (an ad would have done the trick); the Facebook page was relatively dormant, nothing on Yelp ...

As soon as we were seated a manager came over, almost apologetically, to ask if we were aware of the menu change and to go over options. A few of our favorite entrees (only a few) were retained as transitional dishes--offered as specials--while the rest of the menu had been overhauled (with fewer choices we would want to eat). Prices were higher in some cases (making the rectangular pizza on a half sheet pan even worse than it already was). We were very disappointed.

We tried a few things and left dispirited. The meal was just OK and our reasons for going had vanished.  The questions we had were: Why was there no news about this big change? How come we never saw an ad in the local newspaper about this? I am a loyalty card holder ... why didn't the company send letters to card holders announcing the menu change?

I took to the restaurant's Facebook page and lodged my complaints. No response.

By chance, a few months later, we decided to try it again. Lo and behold, things were fairly back to "normal." The menu was still more limited but many of the former popular dishes were back (not all). The stupid pizza presentation was gone. We were gladdened but once again, there had not been any inkling in the media that this had taken place; we discovered this by chance, effectively stumbling upon this switch. So therefore, unless a customer had loved the other change (not many did, the manager told me people were complaining and sales were plummeting) or like us, were willing to give the place another chance, why would anyone go back?

Well clearly, not enough people did. And because of no communication, no one knew it was "safe" to return. We tried to go one Sunday in November and the place had closed early due to lack of business. When we returned last week, a notice was posted on the door that the restaurant was officially closed for good.

This could have been averted with some marketing communication.
1 -- Alert your loyal customers that change is coming. As I mentioned before, I have a loyalty card (spend a certain amount of money and get a gift certificate to the restaurant). It would have been very easy for the company to contact all loyalty card holders with a heads up (even better, invite them into the menu process with a survey).

2 -- Inform the public of your news with--you guessed it--a news release. This is true news, I am sure the daily and weekly papers would have run something on this.

3 -- Run large, noticeable ads in local media announcing the makeover and menu change. This could have brought in new customers who'd never sampled the place before or who had been there years ago and now have a new reason to try it. It also would have alerted current patrons to the changes to avert nasty surprises.

4-- Use social media to make your announcement. The restaurant easily could have published the new menu on Facebook among other platforms.Great way to test the waters before taking the plunge (and eventually, drowning).

5 -- Speaking of social media, make sure the people working your accounts understand the importance and value of customer interaction. Social networks are by nature interactive and customer engagement is the name of the game. Big fail on their part.

Communication is a key element to any business' success and lack of it can spell failure. How do you stay in touch with your customers about changes or updates you're making?

Writing a Press Release? AP Style Matters

Writing a professional news release that the media outlets will take seriously is serious business, but it's not difficult. I've written before about making sure your news is actual news, that it is something the press and/or the listeners/viewers/readers will want to know about, as well as reasons to write a press release. 

Here are a few tips on how to write a press release the way a public relations writer would do it, with adherence to AP Style (the Associated Press Stylebook is readily available and is an excellent resource/guide for all matters of news-related reporting).

NOTE: These days, being the era of the digital and SEO press release, you should make sure to include keywords in your headline and in your supportive subhead that are also included in the body of your release.
That being said, here are some handy helpers and this list is by no means complete.

1. Give the editor what she needs to know in the Five Ws: who, what, where, when and why. Pack this information in the top part of your press release in case the very busy editor or reporter who is reading it is skimming and needs to move on to the next 1000 in her inbox. 

2. Get to the point quickly--don't make anyone read a few paragraphs before they figure out what your news is. Your headline and supportive subhead should telegraph the main premise and key talking points and your Five Ws should follow as immediately as possible. 

3. Titles are not always capitalized! GRRR ... this one always makes me just this side of loony. Clients always think a job title is capitalized. I have no idea where this misconception comes from. In a press release, the person's title (unless it is honorific or formal) is only capitalized when it precedes the person's name (Principal Figgins, Executive Director Caryn Starr-Gates) and is lower case after the name (Figgins, principal of McKinley High School or Caryn Starr-Gates, executive director of a whole lotta nuthin'). 

Formal titles, such as Senator, President, Princess are capitalized and appear before the person's name. There is a lot to read up on in the AP Stylebook about this.  

 4. You only use a person's full name the first time it appears, after which you use only the last name (usually; a few exceptions exist). So when I write about Dr. Arnold Pepper (that's Dr. Pepper's first name, right?) I would write, "Dr. Arnold Pepper, the lead scientist on the soft drink project ..." and later on I would write, "Pepper reported that Starr-Gates said she felt there was something really yucky about that soda and that she always prefers seltzer."

5. Write out some numbers, use digits on others. All ordinal and cardinal numbers first through ninth and one through nine are written out; move to numerals at 10th and 10.

6. Don't use first person. It's not "I" and "we" unless those are used in quotes in the story. It's news, written in the third person. Using first person will immediately tell the recipient, "I'm an amateur." 


7. Months that have more than five letters in them should be abbreviated. See the AP Stylebook for how to abbreviate those pesky long ones.

8. Postal abbreviations for state names (and the way they are written) are not the correct state name abbreviations for news releases. Some are the same, as it turns out but not all. Writing a letter to grandma in Tennessee? Write TN on your envelope but if you are talking about news in that state, write Tenn.

9. Spell correctly and punctuate correctly. Proofread that release before you hit "send." Remember that in American English, commas and periods go INSIDE the quotation marks. 

Although it makes me sad, serial commas are not used (I love me some serial commas). This is not to say that your feature article or book that you are writing according to another manual of style (hello, Chicago!) should not be peppered with serial commas; just not in your AP-style news release.

10.  Most book /magazine titles are in quotations. Don't italicize these. And not everything is put in quotes (reference material for example). Look it up in the "AP Stylebook."

11. Give the document some space. Many people double space their press releases, a throwback to the days of old when releases were mailed or faxed and editors needed room to edit. I usually space my documents at 1.15 to make them easier to read.

12. Make sure your facts are straight. No sense making stuff up and then get caught in a lie or in spreading misinformation. You'll get blackballed in no time! If you know who this dude is and why I stuck his photo here, feel free to share that in the comments.

Here's a final tip: hire a professional writer to help you strategize, develop a newsworthy angle or bring out your real story, and write a professional, AP-style press release that won't be deleted before it's read! 

If you'd like me to review something you're working on, send it to caryn@starrgates.com.

Cover the five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. A press release functions as the hook to get an editor's attention. However, even if you have her attention, if you do not cover the necessary information, she will still find something else to print. The five Ws tell the editor the importance of the information presented.

2

Start with your main point. In journalistic writing, the main point, or overall topic, needs to be at the beginning. If the editor has to dig for it, he will find some other press release to print. You can also underline your main point by including a sample headline.

3

Look carefully at your use of dates and numbers. For example, ordinal numbers first through ninth have to be spelled out, while anything 10th and over uses numerals. the same applies for cardinal numbers one through nine, with 10 and higher written as numerals. Dates and years use numerals. All months with more than five letters, such as January, are expected to be abbreviated.

4

Go over your punctuation. It is important to remember to use one space after the period. Also commas and periods go inside of quotation marks, and serial commas are not used. That is, if you have a list of items, you do not need a comma before the last item: "This is a list of one, two and three items." Some writing styles do require a comma after the "and."

5

Check names and titles. The first time a person is introduced, you must use her first name and full title. Formal titles, such as President or Senator, must be capitalized and appear before the person's name. Informal titles such as deputy secretary of government agency are in lowercase and can appear either before or after a person's name. After first use, only the last name is necessary, except in cases where two people have the same last name or the name is mentioned in a direct quotation.

6

Double check and double space. When you finish writing your press release, double space the body of the release in order to give the editor space to edit the piece as necessary. Also, double check all your facts, including grammar and spelling, to ensure you are putting the best possible face on your company.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_8029607_write-release-proper-ap-style.html