Ideas + insights
Tips on creating exceptional content.
How to write a stellar Web page: advice from a Mad Man
As the award-winning series “Mad Men” recently came to a close, I was reminded of yet another mad man, only this one isn’t fictitious. The legendary advertising genius, David Olgivy. He was arguably the best copywriter of his generation. Olgivy’s advice to copywriters...
How to develop your website’s key messages in 3 steps
Analyze the issues and needs of your audience segments first to create compelling key messages that resonate with prospects. Would you go to a job interview without learning as much as you can about the company (your target audience) beforehand? Would you want...
Book review: Everybody Writes, by Ann Handley
Everybody Writes: Your go-to guide for writing killer marketing content If you had two days to learn everything about how to write killer marketing content, but could only choose one resource, glom onto Ann Handley’s Everybody Writes. Everybody Writes: Your Guide to...
7 reasons why you should attend webinars
Webinars are a constant source of fresh ideas and insights from industry thought leaders and notable experts in just about any discipline you can imagine. Thankfully, the marketing industry is bursting with opportunities to participate in live or recorded webinars. In...
How to write an effective blog post: 10 tips for the small business blog writer
The Web is replete with articles and lists on how to write an effective blog post. I know, because I’ve consumed many of them scouring for emerging best practices to share with my clients and colleagues. So much has been written about blogs, however, you can quickly...
Do your brand messages speak to your customers?
Recently, McKinsey Quarterly magazine published an article entitled “How B2B Companies Talk Past Their Customers.” Through extensive research the consulting firm found a wide gap between brand messages that suppliers communicate to customers and what their customers...
Compliment or complement? 5 tips to better grammar.
Do you think most professional writers know the difference between the similar sounding words compliment and complement? Or complimentary and complementary? I thought the answer would be an unequivocal “yes.” But from the numerous instances lately where I’ve observed...
The ultimate content marketing tactic: corporate magazines
The phrase content marketing may be a neologism, but one of the pillars of the practice has been around since the late 1800s. I’m talking about corporate magazines. Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, credits John Deere as one of the first...
What’s your personal brand?
If you could choose just one word that personified your personal brand, what would it be? Words that reflect character values like ethical, honest or courageous? Or adjectives such as cool, gorgeous or rich? In reality, your personal brand, like any B2B or B2C brand,...