4 Savvy Strategies for Crafting Unforgettable Content (Part 1)

4 Savvy Strategies for Crafting Unforgettable Content (Part 1)

 In the age of visual brilliance and short-lived attention spans, sometimes we wonder if content really counts. But where would vibrant graphics or sensational social media campaigns be without dynamic copy? Nowhere! Like Batman without Robin, like brawn with no brains, hard copy is fundamental to your success.

So, how do you write content that commands attention? How do you write copy that moves a reader and compels them to action? In this three-part series, you'll discover four practical strategies for writing fun, dynamic, and memorable content.

1. Matching the Media and the Message

L.L. Bean is an outdoor clothing and recreational equipment retailer with this brand message: the outside is in everything we make. L.L. Bean believes the more time spent outside together the better, and they design products to enhance that experience. In one of 2017’s most intriguing print campaigns, L.L. Bean brought its “Outsider” concept to life with a print ad that could only be read outdoors. The copy, if read indoors, appeared almost blank except for these words sprinkled across the page: “Just bring this outside.” Readers who complied saw the full text emerge (thanks to photochromic ink, which changes color after exposure to sunlight) to reveal a full ad looking something like this:

"Welcome to the outside

Where there are no strangers

Where days have names like beach, snow, and bluebird

Where the smell of the campfire means you’re in the right place

You don’t need a passport to come here, an invitation to play here, or a membership to belong here

Just step outside your door and you’ve arrived . . .

It doesn’t matter where you come from

Only that you come here often

Wherever you are, join us

Because on the inside, we’re all outsiders

And if it’s outside, we’re in."

The text concluded with an L.L. Bean logo emblazoned across the bottom, and the “Outside” brand experience was one a reader could never forget!

Another memorable media and message combo was produced by Kentucky for Kentucky, the organization that unofficially promotes the state of Kentucky. This group placed a hilarious full-page ad in Oxford American with a brazen typo at the top:

“We speak you’re language.”

The accompanying copy explained: “We know. It’s ‘your’ not ‘you’re.’ We just figured that a typo would be the best way for our ad to stand out in a fine publication like Oxford American magazine. But nice catch anyway, William Faulkner.”

Oxford American, a quarterly literary magazine dedicated to featuring the best of Southern writing, was an iconic medium for this down-home message. Kentucky for Kentucky’s brand identity (irreverence and a commitment to upending traditional Kentucky stereotypes) preached volumes through this boorish grammar breach, drawing attention like a straight-up ad never would. Hiler was pleased with the result: “I think typos can be a good thing . . . It’s so perfect for that particular magazine.”

Looking for more inspiration to up your creativity quotient? Join us again soon for examples, tricks, and tips to kick your content into high gear.
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Branding Equity: What It Is and How to Build It

Branding Equity: What It Is and How to Build It

Carl is a business owner who is experiencing firsthand just how much the internet has revolutionized the consumer buying process. It used to be that a simple look at your products' features was enough to sway consumers to make a purchase. But now, it's all about the brand. In fact, Carl's brand has become his most valuable asset. That is why he is doing all that he can to build his brand equity and distinguish himself from his competition.

What is brand equity?


Brand equity is what your business is worth without its inventory. Or, more simply stated, it's about how valuable your brand is in the eyes of consumers and the relationships that you have with your customers.

To build brand equity, you must leave a lasting, positive impression regarding your brand in the minds of consumers. Your products and services and their demand and usefulness, of course, play a role in how well you can satisfy your customers, but they alone do not generate brand equity.

Top Tips for Using Marketing to Build Brand Equity

The steps outlined below are not in any particular order. They are three examples of essential steps that Carl has used to build brand equity, and each of them is an ongoing process. You don't build brand equity overnight, and then suddenly get to take a vacation. You must work at creating this type of equity on a daily basis just like Carl has done.

1. Release Information About a New Product
You can have a quality product that you know consumers will want to purchase, but they have to know about it first. This is why you should always distribute information about your products. Whether it be creating a product brochure or a how-to guide that goes into the packaging of a new product, you will want to provide as much detail as possible. In fact, Carl has found that the more in-depth and more detailed his brochures and how-to guides are, the more engaged his customers are.

2. Monitor Trends and Perform a Competitive Analysis
Building brand equity means you can adapt to changes as they occur, especially changes related to new trends that hit the marketplace. The best way to monitor trends is to keep a close eye on Google searches. You will also want to perform a competitive analysis to see how your competitors are keeping up with the latest trends. Chances are, you can benefit from employing many of the same tactics your competitors are using. Carl, for example, performed a competitive analysis and discovered three of his competitors were enjoying an increase in sales by offering seasonal discounts. Carl then went to a local print shop and had 1,000 business cards printed with a discount code on the back. Over the period of six months, the discount generated an eight percent increase in his sales.

3. Collect, Use and Distribute Customer Feedback
Lastly, since brand equity is all about how you appear in the eyes and minds of consumers, you will want to use their feedback and respond to it appropriately. Carl publishes his customers' feedback in the brochures and how-to guides he creates. Customer testimonials have been proven to be a huge asset in generating sales.

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Printed Reminders Keep Sales on Track

Printed Reminders Keep Sales on Track

 Remembering to go to the doctor or dentist's office was much simpler back in the day when nearly everyone had a printed calendar. You would go home after a visit and immediately add your next visit to your calendar. The complexities of life today means that it can be tough to keep track of everything, even if you're putting follow-up visits in your smartphone. The cost of a missed office visit can really add up over time, causing professionals to lose thousands of dollars per year. The tiny cost of creating a simple printed reminder that can be saved to your patients' fridge provides an extra touch point for busy individuals.

Improved Experiences

Improving the experience of patients in today's competitive environment may mean the difference between a growing and robust practice and one that dwindles away over the years. One physician's office saw the benefits firsthand when Dr. Marcus L. decided to implement small printed reminders for his patients. As a family health practitioner, Dr. Marcus would often require follow-up visits with patients after their blood work was returned to review their results. Many patients would forget about this check-point, costing his staff time and money due to blank spots in their schedules with no billable time.

Boosting Revenue

Dr. Marcus was already working with a local print shop on some flyers for an upcoming health fair, and his account manager heard his woes and recommended a short-term test of some printed reminders. Dr. Marcus agreed and printed up a 3 month supply of the small reminders for his staff to pass out to patients. What he discovered after that test period was quite surprising! His staff helped track the number of empty slots. He discovered that there were 25% fewer empty slots on his schedule due to the reminders!

Printed reminders help keep patients and staff on track with follow-up visits for doctors and dentists -- and could benefit many other professional offices as well! Think hairdressers, aestheticians . . . the list is endless! 
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How Building Effective Teams Can Supercharge Your Business

How Building Effective Teams Can Supercharge Your Business

Team building can be an overused cliche in business circles, but there is something truly magical about what a cohesive team can create together. Individuals working alone are able to contribute specific tasks towards a goal, but a team working together adds energy and power to push their achievements higher. This is one of the reasons there are so many books and manuals focused on building effective teams. If you have never seen this in action you may not believe the synergy that can be attained -- it is almost like a force of nature. See how building effective teams will maximize employee productivity and happiness as well as helping you retain your hardest workers.

Effective Teams Bring Their "A" Game

A Gallup article from a few years ago stated that up to 70% of employees are showing up to work disengaged, costing the American economy billions of dollars every year in lost productivity. When you find ways for these individuals to connect to one another, they become invested in seeing each other become successful. Engaged, enthusiastic employees are ones who are constantly looking for ways to innovate and exceed expectations. If you could move the needle on even 20% of your mediocre performers, the impact to your bottom line would be significant.

Effective Teams Provide Diverse Ideas

The age-old saying that 'two heads are better than one' is extremely valid in today's business world. The complexity of ideas and interconnectedness of our systems means that it is difficult for any one person to have the knowledge needed to innovate and excel. Bringing together your team in a safe space allows for the free flowing of ideas between members -- and the ability to synthesize these great ideas into something actionable for leadership.

Effective Teams Blow Through Restraints


Where one person working alone may be worried about going down a specific -- and potentially risky -- path, a cohesive team has the bravery to take the leap. These leaps are what drive lasting change in an organization. Without this shared risk-taking and an ability to literally blow through restraints, your business can become stuck in the rut of doing things the way they've always been done.

Effective Teams Inspire Others

Let's face it, everyone wants to be a part of a winning team. When you see one team that seems to get all the awards, recognition and respect, you want to see what makes them special. Many times, it's their ability to work effectively together and collaborate to achieve a shared vision and goals. When one team in your organization is able to attain this level of cohesiveness, it will inspire and motivate others to do the same. This breeds a more positive working environment for all.

Effective Teams Have Fun Together


When work ceases to be work and becomes something that you enjoy doing during the day, you are able to devote your heart more fully to the tasks at hand. This joyful passion shines through in everything that you do. Ineffective teams can cause this light to dim, but having fun together can create a bond where individuals connect at a deeper level.

There are so many ways that effective teams create a sum that is greater than the individual parts. When the team truly works together as a single unit, the strengths of each person are multiplied allowing for an oversized impact on your organization's effectiveness. Bring your teams together if you want to truly supercharge your business! 

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A Single Red Feather

A Single Red Feather

It was a brilliant start to a lasting legacy. Conference organizers work hard to stage successful events, helping worldwide professionals network in meaningful ways, with long-lasting benefits. One international conference intentionally introduced certain attendees online before their event. But there was a problem. How would this cohort take their connection offline in a sea of 8,000+ people?

Perhaps a simple, visible strategy would work: these participants placed a single red feather in their name badge. Red feather attendees committed to seek each other out in friendly, approachable, non-threatening ways. By the close of the conference, curiosity and goodwill drove hundreds of new people to request a red feather and to join this informal circle of friends. Why? Because everyone needs a great network to lean on!

Collect Relationships, Not Just Business Cards

Networking is important! A recent LinkedIn study revealed that 70 percent of people in 2016 were hired at a company where they had a previous connection. But while 80 percent of professionals consider networking to be important to career success, 38 percent said they find it hard to stay connected to (or in touch with) their network.

How can you grow or maintain your personal networking tree beyond online networks like LinkedIn or Meetup? It doesn’t have to be difficult! Even simple steps like participating in webinars, attending conferences, volunteering your time locally, or actively following and commenting on your alumni newsletters can forge and strengthen connections. As one Cornell MBA reflects, “the concept is to stay connected even when you don’t need to, so when the time comes for that extra spark, your network will be able to ignite you on your path.”

Beyond the enjoyment networks bring, a web of professional relationships can be leveraged for great gain. As you strengthen bonds with a specific pool of people, you can enhance the quality of your services, increase customer retention, and gain important contacts and sales opportunities that you might never have accessed otherwise.

While many of us dread the idea of traditional networking, we often forget that building alliances is about collecting friends, not business cards. Remember, your goal is to come to know and enjoy people. If you’ve chosen relationships wisely, it should be fun to learn from others, gain management ideas and advice, and to spur on another’s profit and performance. As you and your colleagues update and encourage one another, the hope is that, ultimately, you’ll become each other’s salespeople!

Local Business Networks Bring Life

Another natural way to overcome networking barriers is to intentionally sow into local business relationships. Local business networks are a refreshing antidote to the isolation we often experience in today’s culture. A thriving local business community helps each of us because it empowers us to grow in our goals, to access important relationships, to collaborate on custom solutions, and to bring inspiration or motivation on the days we need it most.

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Post-Show Followup Techniques You Will Want to "Borrow"

Post-Show Followup Techniques You Will Want to "Borrow"

Trade shows are one of the most exhausting, yet exhilarating, ways to spend your marketing dollars. You not only get to meet with your customers face-to-face, but you can also see what your competitors are up to, get great ideas for the future, and generally feed off the energy on the show floor. However, if you're not using the time after you return to the office effectively, you may be wasting much of the goodwill that you created at the show. Here are some great tips and techniques from marketers that will help you knock your post-show communication out of the park.


Capture Contacts Logically



Before you even start to pull together samples and brochures for your event, you need to determine the best way to capture contacts for later follow-up. This could be anything from a name badge scanner provided by the event coordinators to the low-tech solution of a giveaway fishbowl where contacts drop in their business cards. Simply gathering the information isn't enough, you need a solid plan in place of how you're going to get these new names and their requests into an actionable marketing database.


Create a Specific CTA



Your call to action is just that: a way to encourage your audience to take a specific action that leads to your desired result. Starting with the end in mind allows you to craft a campaign where each step builds towards the logical conclusion -- your customer placing an order or asking for a demo. The first step may be a quick email, while the next step could include mailing a sample with a custom printed letter. A final step of a phone call or postcard a few weeks after the show proves to your audience that you're committed to meeting (and exceeding!) their expectations. 


Sort and Assign Leads



If you're using an automated solution for capturing leads, you may wish to begin immediately by sending an email as soon as you return from the show. If this isn't possible due to volume, go through your lists and segment your leads into hot, warm, and cold. If you're able to immediately assign the hot leads to a team member to call and can convert them to customers, great! Most people spend a day or two regrouping after a show, so timing is everything. Call too soon, and you're likely to get a voicemail recording which is generally a dead end. Call too long after the show, and people have forgotten all about you. This is one of the reasons that a branded, high-quality print piece is a fantastic followup. If you start your print project quickly, your materials can be there soon after your prospects are back in the office. 


Nurture Your Prospects



Create a formal and ongoing communication strategy that allows you to continue the conversation with your various audiences. Some people may be very interested in your products or services, but perhaps they don't have the budget to start a project immediately. Others may be lukewarm in their interest levels, but you can see how you're adding value to their organization. What's important is that you tailor your messaging to your audience to convert as many as possible into customers.


Now that you know the basics of trade show and event follow-up, you're ready to hit the road. You will see the true benefits of growing your audience and communicating effectively with all the new customers and sales coming your way!

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5 Ways to Find the Strength to Try One More Time

5 Ways to Find the Strength to Try One More Time

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become an Olympic athlete, a NASA astronaut, or a leader in a major organization?


The one trait that all of these individuals likely possess is persistence: the ability to get back up, dust themselves off after a fall, and keep trying. No matter your talent, regardless of your genius and irrespective of your education, persistence is often the trait that sets people apart from their peers in terms of their level of success.


Succeeding at anything in life requires a great deal of effort over a period of time -- very few people simply decide to be the best at their craft and are able to do it without a battle. How do these individuals find the strength to try one more time . . . repeatedly?


1. Be Prepared


Planning for success helps you think through all of the reasons why someone would disagree with your ideas, and also gives you the bulletproof mentality that you're prepared for any question that comes your way. Think of all the reasons why something won't be successful, and then consider arguments against that point. Become your own devil's advocate, and it will be that much easier to find a positive response and an open door for your next request. 


2. Be Adaptable

Being adaptable provides you with the mental agility to not hide in a corner when you're kicked to the curb. As Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle Corporation states:

“When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for people telling you that you are nuts.” 

You have to be willing to adapt your thinking and your processes and find a way to create change while not straying from your core ideas. You can't listen to every naysayer, but you can look for the nuggets of wisdom that they share and use that information to your advantage the next time you try to move forward.


3. Be Confident


You may be surprised that confidence is not the first attribute we consider, but the reality is, you need to have a plan in place that you can trust and support before confidence will help you through to success. Confidence in yourself, your family, and your ideas -- as well as a burning passion to make a change in the world -- are what can help you continue on even when it feels as though there's no path forward. 


4. Do the Work


Unfortunately, there are few things in life that can replace hard work. Whether that hard work is from an athlete completing the same moves repeatedly for months or even years or a business leader who is told "No" more times than they can count, the ability to simply buckle down and execute on your vision is critical to long-term success.


5. Inspire Others


Perhaps one of the most rewarding things you will ever do with your life is to inspire others to be their best. Take the time throughout your life to inspire others. When you realize how many people you have impacted and how many are watching your success, it's a lot easier to find the strength to try again in difficult times.


Finally, in the words of Thomas Edison: "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." Shouldn't you give it one more shot? 

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