Hiroad Blog

Repurposing with a purpose

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:46:00 +0000

If you've read our newsletter Changing Lanes with any regularity-or irregularity-you know how we advocate repurposing and getting optimal value out of your written pieces (e.g. using your press releases as the basis for newsletter articles, Web content). To successfully repurpose, it's CRITICAL to take into consideration that while the material remains relatively the same, the audience IS different.

For example, you want to repurpose a newsletter article as a press release. How you would write for a warmer, friendlier audience in a newsletter article is greatly different than how you write for the media. Somebody you know will hang in there a bit longer than somebody you don't, particularly an overworked, underpaid editor or reporter. So, that headline and first paragraph better grab them AND deliver.

Second, you need to adjust the tone. A press release is a bit more formal. So, you wouldn't necessarily be referring to somebody by first name within the body of the story or in repeated quotes (e.g. "...said D'Eramo" rather than "...said Joe.")

The same would hold true of taking a press release and converting it to Web content. Web copy is a one-on-one conversation with the reader. So you do want to refer to them as you and be a bit more conversational with your language. And while a press release tries to present a great story angle, if you're repurposing it into copy on your Web site, there needs to be a call to action of some sort. As a press release, the story is supposed to speak for itself without self-promoting.

Speaking of self-promoting, one of the many arguments for hiring a freelance copywriter is that he or she will be a bit more objective when creating collateral pieces and other promotional items. Does that mean they will not advocate your product or service as strongly as you would? Not at all. But the focus will be on how your product or service can meet the reader's needs rather than how great your product or service might be. Typically, that's what makes the sale or gets coverage.

The bottom line is when you write a release or draft an article, you do have an opportunity to use it for a number of different media. The trick is making it work for that specific medium.

SOUTH SHORE ENTREPRENEUR: Kim Dwyer offers Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:24:00 +0000

Here's a great article on Hiroad client Kim Dwyer, a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner.

SOUTH SHORE ENTREPRENEUR: Kim Dwyer offers Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

Hiroad a Matt Furey Affiliate

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:29:00 +0000

Plymouth resident Joe D’Eramo, principal of Hiroad Communications, today announced it has entered into an affiliate relationship to sell Matt Furey exercise products.

A former wrestling and martial arts champion, Matt Furey developed a line of body weight conditioning programs. In addition, he’s the best-selling author of Unbeatable Man.
As a Matt Furey affiliate, Hiroad Communications will now be reselling the following Matt Furey offerings:

“I first became a fan of Matt Furey products after my daughter was born. I didn’t have the time or money to go to a gym and needed something to try and stay in shape. Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning DVDs taught me exercises that gave me a superior workout without using a machine, without leaving my home in about 15 minutes,” said D’Eramo, a freelance copywriter.

“In fact, I’d say I’m in better overall condition now than when I was paying more than $400 a year to work out at a gym for an hour and half every other day.”

Hiroad Communications (www.hiroadcommunications.com) provides copywriting services for a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients. And while D’Eramo is a devotee of Furey’s exercise products, he’s also an admirer of his ability as a communicator and writer.

“One of the big things I preach as a freelance copywriter is creating a voice and holding a conversation with the reader,” said D’Eramo. “Very few writers do that as well as Matt Furey. And he does it in his distinctive style that’s been extraordinarily effective.”

In addition to writing content for ads, articles, brochures, direct mail, newsletters, press releases, sites, and other collateral materials, Hiroad Communications recently published Why Nobody Reads Your Newsletter…And How To Fix It. This free troubleshooting guide stresses the importance of small businesses seeing their newsletter through the eyes of their target audience.

For more information on Hiroad Communications or to download a free copy of Why Nobody Reads Your Newsletter…And How To Fix It, go to www.hiroadcommunications.com. To discuss potential writing projects, you can e-mail info@hiroadcommunications.com or call 617-848-0848.

What to do with media coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:26:00 +0000

A trade publication used a quote by you for one of its articles. Better yet, you’re one of the featured experts quoted in the article. Now what? You can:

A. Sit by the phone and wait for all the new clients to call
B. Share the good news by any means possible
C. All of the above

Okay, any time somebody gives you an “All of the Above” option, that’s usually the answer (a little hint for those of you with children about to take the SATs). Seriously, receiving favorable media coverage is good news that you really do not want to keep to yourself. While some new or current clients may call as a result of the initial coverage, you can maximize the bang for your PR buck by:

Linking to the article from some text (e.g. Hiroad quoted in Any Newspaper article) on your home page (if the publication is online)
Creating a link with similar language from your Web site’s newsroom (assuming that you have a newsroom on your Web site; do you?)
If you have a Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or any other kind of account, post the link to that sucker.
If you have the appropriate reprint permissions, create collateral materials out of the coverage for your sales team. Make sure you have plenty of copies for your waiting area, if you have one.
Shoot out a quick e-mail newsletter to your current client base, subtly noting coverage. Perhaps the coverage is a good opportunity to remind your current clients of the services you offer.

Another suggestion, if you really like the quote, is to create a pull-quote for your home page. You know, where the quote is enlarged and placed prominently on the page. Not only does this draw attention to the quote, but creates an attractive graphic element to the page.

In a perfect world, a great media hit would get your phone ringing off the hook. That can still happen. But with all the media out there to get your good news out, why not use ‘em?

Random thought about local elections

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sat, 08 May 2010 17:34:00 +0000

It's election day in my town today. In driving around and checking out the "Vote for (fill in the candidate's name) signs, one thought occurred to me: why do none of these signs have the day of the election on them?

Sure, there are ads in the newspapers and those annoying pre-recorded phone calls that all mention the date. But most of us see the yard signs. So, would it be that difficult to say, "Vote for Bill Smith on 5/8"?

That said, it also amazes me how few people use an e-mail signature. Or if they use one, don't use it on every e-mail. Talk about an incredibly easy way to advertise your business and draw traffic to your Web site. Yet it's amazing how few do.

How hockey gets it right: Why newsletters can be your secret weapon.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:42:00 +0000

Does your company have a newsletter? It's one of the typical questions yours truly asks when networking with other business owners. The typical response is "what can I expect for a return on my investment?" Rather than reel off the typical, "it depends" answer, here's a better response.

When somebody scores a goal in hockey, they not only give an assist to the person who passed the puck, but the player who passed to the guy who passed to the goal scorer. Your newsletter can be the second assist guy.

How? First, let's operate under the premise that what's in the newsletter is newsworthy (e.g. a new product or service; an old product or service improved, etc.). By sending your newsletter to your existing client base, you're doing more than informing them. In a sense, you're making them sales agents. Pass number one.

With this information, the client/customer now has information about your company. Perhaps they need the new and improved product or service? Maybe they were about to call you for additional help and your newsletter just jogged their memory?

Even better, maybe they know somebody who might need this product or service? Now they have something to forward to gauge whether there is interest. That's a far cry better than passing along a cold lead your customer may or may not have thought to give you. Your newsletter just reminded them. Pass number two.

Score!!!!!!

Similarly, a newsletter can be an effective tool for your sales force. Whether it's an e-newsletter like this one or a traditional hard copy one, providing your sales force with leave-behinds is a critical part of staying front-of-brain with your customers. And that's a major assist in increasing sales.

If you don't have an e-newsletter, Constant Contact is an easy and affordable way to get started. For a free, 60-day trial membership, click here.

Google Alerts: the worst kept secret and least utilized business tool.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:22:00 +0000

Who hasn't, out of morbid curiosity, done an Internet search on your name or business name? If we could see a show of hands, it's probably a good bet that everybody raised them. That's what makes it slightly perplexing why people do not use Google alerts.

For those of you who may not know, Google, Yahoo and other Internet search sites offer a free tool where you submit a keyword or keyword phrase and you will be notified by e-mail when that word or phrase appears on the Internet.

For example, we could choose an alert for "Hiroad Communications". Then we can determine whether we want to be notified when "Hiroad Communications" is mentioned anywhere on the Web or just on News sites. You can even determine how often you want to receive the e-mail--as it happens, once a day or once a week. Pretty cool.

As a business that offers PR services, Hiroad Communications uses Google alerts to see if the releases we put out for clients are picked up by news sites as well as traditional sites. While not as effective as a clipping service, the price is right-free. Yes, you may miss an occasional clip, but you get the big ones and that's what's really important.

PR aside, it's just a good idea to create one for your name and business. On the business side, it's nice to know what people are saying about you or your company. On a personal side, it offers some nice benefits, too. For example, I set one up for my children's names. Now, if they should happen to make honor roll or if there's a story on one of their sports teams, I get a notification.

So, if you've ever been in one of those curious moods and decide to Google your name, take it one step further and set up a Google alert. Just click here and you can get started today.

Five things that worked for me in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Was going to call this "Five things that saved my backside in 2009" but thought that might be a little extreme. Still, 2009 would not have been the same, and not in a good way, without:

Vocus - While they offer a wide range of services, Vocus' calling card is in press release distribution. Compared to another company that shall remain nameless (hint: it's former name is made from pigs), Vocus makes sending out releases a breeze. Even better, it makes personalizing those releases just as simple.

Constant Contact - I know what you're thinking, you're living in the Dark Ages? What about blogs? Tweets? Social media? When you get right down to it, Constant Contact is a darn effective tool in communicating with your existing client base. Not that every recipient reads every word. It's just a nice way to let your clients-current, former and future-know you're still kicking.

TweetDeck - Okay, so who didn't attempt some sort of social media in 2009? And if it took you half of 2009 to get Twitter, TweetDeck made it that much easier. Even better, it made it possible for you to post your tweets on Facebook as well.

FreeConferenceCalling.com - Besides the free part, this service enables you to record your conference calls. Call me a babe in the woods, but that's a service that came in pretty handy for an important interview, but we'll talk about that in future Changing Lanes.

PDFonfly.com - Not sure exactly what PDF stands for. When a large part of your business is getting your client in the newspapers, nowadays online, you want to get that coverage to them asap. This free service enables you to convert HTML Web pages to PDF PDQ.

One of the best things I've ever written

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:56:00 +0000

On the occasion of my parents' 48th wedding anniversary, I thought I'd share one of my favorite articles. It was supposed to be a chapter in a Chicken Soup for the Soul but the project was cancelled.

Anyway, I share this with you to express my gratitude to and for my parents and for my family and friends who lost a parent or parents. I do appreciate how lucky I have been to have and still have Domenic and Janet D'Eramo as my parents.

We make our Dads happy...really

“Every child had a pretty good shot to get at least as far as their old man got”

Billie Joel, Allentown

Throughout time, sons have always felt the need to achieve more than our fathers in order to please them. Even though very few of us can actually remember our dads saying that. More tragically, we link our own happiness with our lives to the day we finally do step beyond the long shadows cast by our fathers.

I was Exhibit A of this case study. At 35, I hadn’t even come close reaching what I perceived my father’s lofty expectations of me to be. Still single, living in small one-bedroom apartment, I awoke every day to go to a job I hated, feeling direction-less in just about every way imaginable.

Looking at my own father unnerved me because I sensed disappointment in those steel gray eyes. After all, this man came to a new country at the age of 12, learned English in a year, overcame the loss of both parents by the age of 17 to attend Brown University on a scholarship and go on to a brilliant career as a civil engineer in the Boston area. With much affection and without a trace of stereotype, the Massachusetts engineering community referred to him as the “godfather”. How could a man like this possibly respect me? How could I not feel like I let this man down? By the time he was my age, he had three kids, a home, and had already laid the foundation of what would become a very successful career.

Of course, he never said I disappointed him. It’s just something I sensed during our “debates” about my career. Yet like Daniel Stern’s character stated in City Slickers, my father and I could always talk about sports. So, when he asked me if I wanted to take my two oldest nephews to a Red Sox game on Memorial Day, it was a no-brainer. Besides, if there was one area of my life where I felt I met and exceeded expectations, it was as an uncle.

I picked up my older sister’s son Michael at their house outside Boston. Dad brought my other sister’s son Jared up with him from the Cape. Seven-year-old Michael wasn’t much of a baseball fan. But his grandfather wanting to take him anywhere made it a special occasion. Eight-year-old Jared on the other hand ate, breathed and slept sports and this was his first visit to Fenway.

We met in the concession area beneath the first base grandstand. It was a steamy Memorial Day that felt more like the 4th of July. I gave the area a quick scan, taking full advantage of my 6’6” frame. Sadly, that frame comes with eyes riddled with nearsightedness and astigmatism. That’s why I wasn’t surprised that my search came up empty, interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Hi, Joe. Been here long?”

It was Dad and Jared.

“No, we just got here, Dad,” I said.

Pleasantries exchanged, we adjourned to our seats along the first base line. A long shadow cast upon us, granting some shade on a day the devil himself would have brought a fan. How long that shade remained would certainly dictate how long Michael, the reluctant baseball fan, would want to stay.

Jared, on the other hand, hung on every pitch. He reminded me of me when I was his age. Fenway Park was my Mecca. I pitched the 7th game of the World Series there in my mind every afternoon, tossing a tennis ball against the chimney of our house for hours. I lived for the pilgrimage my father and I made each season and saw that same look in my oldest nephew’s eyes.

Conversely, his cousin had more of an interest in scoping out the Coke bottles above the Green Monster with my binoculars.

“Having fun, Michael?” my father asked.
“Yep,” Michael replied.

Somewhere around the fifth inning, our friend Mr. Shade drifted behind our seats, giving way to Mr. Sun. That’s about the time the game heated up too, with the Red Sox cutting a 5-0 deficit to 5-2. It’s also about the time that Michael began asking to leave.

“Uncle Joe, can we go now?”
“Michael, the Red Sox are coming back. Just a few more innings.”

With the sun beating down on our faces and the Sox rallied stalled, I told Michael we would leave at the end of the seventh. Jared left his baseball trance to ask, “Michael, you’ll miss the best part.”

“That’s okay, Jared,” said my father. “We’ll tell him how it ends.”

Almost on cue, in the seventh inning, the Sox began another rally. A couple of runners got on, then Jason Varitek went yard to tie it up. As Fenway erupted, Michael had but one thought on his mind, “can we go?” Wisely, he held that request until after the Red Sox took the lead on a two-run homer by Mike Stanley. Beaten into submission, I agreed.

So, as his grandfather and cousin slapped high fives, we collected our gear.

“We’re going to get going now, Dad,” I said.
“Huh? Okay,” he said. “See you later, Michael. Did you have fun?”
“Yep,” said Michael.

As we drove to my sister’s house, I was struck by the contrasting reactions of my two nephews. It made me think back to my Dad taking me to my first game. I don’t remember much. The Red Sox played the Yankees and lost. For some reason the Red Sox catcher Bob Montgomery—later Carlton Fisk’s backup—didn’t wear a helmet when he batted. One thing I know for sure about that first game, despite nearly three decades having gone by, is that you couldn’t get me to leave that ballpark before the game was officially over. Just like my nephew. To see that same love of the game in the eyes of my nephew gave me a feeling of such tremendous joy that mere words could never do it justice. I felt beyond happy.

After dropping off Michael, the pleasant memory of Jared’s reaction led to another revelation. My father must have felt that same euphoria watching me watch my beloved Red Sox, the same as I had just experienced with my nephew. Despite all my perceived shortcomings in my career and personal life, I know in my bones that I gave my father this magical, wonderful feeling. And if I made my father feel this way just once, there was no way I could be a let down as a son.

As children, and later as adults, we place such an emphasis on making our parents happy that we lose sight of what really does: our happiness. That doesn’t necessarily mean accomplishing great things, like passing the bar, or owning a great house, car, etc. Just being happy. Even if it’s only for a moment and something as simple and effortless as enjoying a baseball game. We’ve all made our parents that happy at one time or another in our lives. It’s too bad that somebody else has to make us that happy to realize that we did.

Have a good one...good what?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:30:00 +0000

It's gotten so commonplace that most people don't give it a second thought. Go to a convenience store, CVS, McDonalds, you name it, make a purchase and most assuredly the pleasantry you'll receive upon completing the transaction is "have a good one".

Have a good what? A good day? Good evening? Good vasectomy? Have we gotten so lazy (sorry, economical for the PC crowd out there) with our words that saying "have a good day" is such a burden? Perhaps so.

Now before you go off on me as being a complete old fogy from the "sir" and "ma'am" school, here's my frame of reference with the "have a good one" phrase. Back in my high school days about a quarter of a century ago, it was a common expression for guys to say to other guys. Believe me, it had nothing to do with wishing one's comrades a pleasant day. Okay, maybe it did, for the good one actually referred to your next sexual conquest.

Basically, "have a good one" was "hope you enjoy your next tumble in the backseat with Betty Lou"--even if you knew darn well your buddy had a better shot at having an actual good day.

Fast forward to present day and you can imagine why I'm troubled when the senior/teen cashier at Stop and Shop tells to me to "have a good one".

Okay, so maybe everybody doesn't have locker room banter as a frame of reference. I can appreciate that. Yet in an age where having simple, cordial service is nearly impossible, you can't go one visit to a store without even the most snotty service person telling you to "have a good one".

Not that we all wouldn't enjoy a good one, that's really nobody else's business. But wouldn't it be nice if all you "have a good one" service people would just finish the sentence. Wishing people a good morning, afternoon or evening is always good form.

Take a bow, Coach DQ

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:01:00 +0000

As a writer, you try to use the written word to tell the story for your clients. Sometimes, they can tell it just a little better than you. For example, Coach Dawn Quesnel.

Her six-step BRIDGE process helps people cut their job search in half. Something that could be pretty handy these days. In a press release, I tried to capture the spirit of the BRIDGE. But if this clip from ABC40 in Springfield, Mass. indicates, Coach DQ tells her story pretty well.

http://www.abc40tv.com/global/story.asp?s=9751129

Take "that" out

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:19:00 +0000

Looking to tighten up the copy on your Web site or in your next sales letter or press release. Take a look at the number of times you use the word "that". Nine times out of ten, it's quite easy to take "that" out and have the sentence read just as well. Maybe even better.

For example:

Mary may want to limit the size of the gift so that the gifted interest is too small to constitute majority control of the business (more than 50 percent).

Now, without the "that":

Mary may want to limit the size of the gift so the gifted interest is too small to constitute majority control of the business (more than 50 percent).

Did the sentence's meaning change at all? Nope. In fact, taking "that" out makes it read a little better.

Now, for one small sentence, removing one word is not such a big deal. Over the course of an entire piece or Web site, it can make a big difference in readability.

Too many excess words can wear the reader out after awhile. Taking "that" out is one easy step to creating a better flow to your words.

Repurposing your press releases

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:33:00 +0000

So, you want to get some publicity for your company’s latest product, new hire, move, whatever the topic. You put out a press release with the ultimate goal of getting some type of coverage. And while that type of free media is great, there are a number of other uses for a press release.

For starters, besides sending the release to media outlets, there are any number of free press release submission sites out there. For example, prfree.com. Submitting your release on these sites with a link back to your Web site can improve your place in the search engine rankings.

Speaking of rankings, by all means your press releases should go on your Web site’s news room. If you don’t have a newsroom, you should have one. It’s a great place to store press releases and any coverage you might get.

One more thing about press releases on your own Web site. Since releases are generally on a topic for which you want your company to be known, it’s a great opportunity to load up on keywords. That means the press release you send out to the media doesn’t necessarily have to be verbatim from the one you post on your site. You can load that one up with extra keywords and keyword phrases to improve your search engine rankings.

If you’re writing your press releases in a tone and format where a newspaper could easily run it verbatim, it’s quite easy to repurpose the news release for some other use. For example, a bylined article. All it takes is changing the format slightly—take the “For Immediate Release” dateline and boiler plate and you have the making of a short article suitable for a company newsletter or e-zine.

For companies that have their own blogs, news releases can also quite easily be converted to blog material. There are also dozens of free submission sites for articles. Again, if you link the article back to your company Web site, you have another vehicle for boosting your search engine rankings.

Ironically, you don’t have to repurpose the news release altogether to give it even more power. A press release makes an invaluable collateral piece, particularly if it’s informative in nature. It’s often a nice leave-behind piece for your sales force. You can even use it as a quasi company newsletter for your employees and your clients.

In fact, sending press releases to clients and employees is one underutilized way to get the full benefit of a press release. Employees certainly appreciate being kept in the loop. You’d be surprised how few companies keep their employees abreast of breaking news.

As for clients, it’s a perfect way to stay in touch in between newsletters, if you have one of those. It can almost act as a substitute for one if you don’t. A press release can remind your client base of not only of what you’re doing, but new or other services you offer that they might not know about.

Ideally, a press release gets you in the press. Repurposing your press release for other media gives you the most bang for your press release buck.

How PR delivers traffic to your Web site

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:33:00 +0000

In days of old (pre-Al Gore and the Internet) when a media outlet ran a press release or did an article or story based on a release, consumers interested in that product or service called or visited the location for more information. Post Al Gore, those readers visit the Web site instead of picking up the phone or making the trip.

Now, the media outlet running the release or doing the story may never mention your Web address in the piece. Still, it’s become habit for most people to look up a company’s Web site as the first point of inquiry and a Google search for a specific site prompted by media coverage is a pretty common occurrence. That segues nicely into the next way PR generates traffic for your Web site: free press release distribution sites.

Any pr agency worth their salt will also send out press releases via free distribution sites like Prfree.com, Sanepr.com and others. These sites post thousands of releases on thousands of topics on one single Web site. These releases are filled with even more links to additional Web sites. For those of you unfamiliar with search engine optimization, the number of links pointing towards your site can dramatically improve your search engine rankings. So, if one site with literally thousands of links runs your release, you stand a better chance of getting a higher ranking. For example:

You send out a release on Widgets. Your release emphasizes how your widgets are less expensive than others. Several times during the release you mention “cheap widgets.” You post the release on Prfree.com. A consumer looking for widgets does a search on “cheap widgets.” Because you’ve used that term several times in your release and because it’s on a site with thousands of links to other Web sites that receive traffic, your widget release will probably rank fairly high on the consumer’s search. And by clicking on that release, the consumer sees a link to your site and goes to check out those cheap widgets as well as, hopefully, your other products and services.

Having a pressroom on your site to house your releases provides another nice source of traffic. Since press releases are generally about specific topics, you can incorporate search engine-friendly keywords in the release. By posting it on your site, you also have the benefit of using those same keywords in your title and meta tags as well. The title tag is the description of the page that you see at the top of the browser (e.g. the blue bar in your Internet Explorer). The meta tag is the description of the page. If you are not familiar with these terms, please ask your Web master.

By employing the above tact, it’s not uncommon for a press release to draw a higher ranking and the traffic ahead of the Home, About Us or Services page. As long as you have a menu on the press release page so the reader can get to the other pages of your site, you’re in good shape.

Yet for all the “high-tech” ways to drive traffic to your Web site, there’s an old school method that still does the trick. Using your press release as a collateral piece after it’s been released to the media. Whether it’s as a handout at a speaking engagement or networking meeting or sitting on display in your waiting area, a press release provides insight into a specific part of your company and the information—namely the Web address—to find out more. And that’s the true mission of any press release or ensuing coverage, to entice the reader/viewer to want to find out more.

Next up, pointers on having a Web site that seals the deal.

An e-mail invitation to your Web site

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:32:00 +0000

You may or may not realize this, but every e-mail you send is a potential invitation to your Web site. Why? Because your e-mail address should contain your domain name (e.g. info@hiroadcommunications.com). And just as curiosity killed the cat, a simple e-mail can make the recipient curious enough about your firm to check out your site.

Far too many small businesses miss out on this opportunity by using the e-mail address of the ISP. This is a huge, HUGE mistake! Not only do you miss out on traffic to your Web site, but you leave the impression that you’re a little guy. And “little guys” being able to pass themselves off as “big guys” is one of the true advantages of the Internet.

Putting a value on "free"

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Sure, it's the most powerful word in advertising, but the effectiveness of the word "free" really depends on what you're getting. If you've ever been to a yard sale and seen a big pile of stuff for free, you know exactly what I mean.

That's why companies offering "complimentary" visits and "free" consultations do themselves and their product a huge disservice by not reminding customers and clients the value of "free." If a new customer doesn't know an hour of your time costs $100 or a product costs $25, are they going to be more responsive or less responsive if they want to make a purchase or retain your services--especially if you just gave it away for nothing?

That's not to say a free consultation or sample is not a great way to introduce potential customers. Just remember that when you say "free" add some text saying, "ordinarily a $___ value," or something to that effect. This way you're still giving something away to lure business, but you're not devaluing your livelihood either.

Power dump

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:58:00 +0000

For you people with your mind in the trash, this is not what it sounds like. Well, in a way it is. While using Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, you can permanently delete an e-mail by holding down the shift key and pressing “Delete”—bypassing the “Deleted Items” or “trash” altogether.

Most people are a little hesitant to empty their “Deleted Items” folder, even though they know 90 percent of what’s in there will never be needed. The other side of that is you don’t want to have thousands of items in that folder either. By “power deleting” items you know you’ll never need, like spam, the number of number of items in your “Deleted Items” folder grows at a much slower pace.

Sure, emptying your “Deleted Items” every two or three weeks compared to every week may not sound like much. But if it reduces your paranoia about permanently removing deleted items, it’s well worth it.

Your e-newsletter: news or nuisance?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:33:00 +0000

A question anybody who puts out a newsletter should ask. Most folks in business receive enough e-mail without adding more to the in box unless it’s something that offers value. To make sure your newsletter doesn’t fall into the “Nuisance” category, you need to follow a few simple guidelines.

Make sure the focus of your articles is on things that actually affect your readers. Better yet, offer a solution to a problem they might encounter. For example, the article on Spell Check in this newsletter. While it may not be on the top 10 list of problems you might run into, it’s a nice-to-know feature that will help.

Do not oversell or even try to sell your services with your newsletter. The idea of the newsletter is to inform. By offering helpful advice and information, you are subtly selling your products or services by demonstrating your knowledge and expertise.

Keep it brief. As stated earlier, people have a limited time and attention span for most e-mail newsletters. Do not overwhelm them with 2000-word articles. Try to keep it under 500, even better if it’s between 100 and 300 words.

The death sentence to any e-mail newsletter is scrolling. So make sure to post longer articles you do offer on your Web site or blog with a link from the e-newsletter.

Always give readers the choice of opting out. You never want to be associated with spam. Unless you give readers the choice of receiving your newsletter, you will be.

Finally, don’t be offended if not everybody reads the articles in your newsletter. Ideally, that would be the case, but it’s not critical to the success of your newsletter. Just by publishing your newsletter, you’re putting your product or service to the front of the brain of your readers, even if that puts you in the “Deleted” folder.

Re-check your Spell Check

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:38:00 +0000

Have you ever used the same letter for more than one purpose? Of course! It’s silly not to use a good letter for a number of different purposes--as long as its tailored appropriately to the audience and you remember to proofread and spell check. Yet the spell check in your word processing program is exactly where this strategy can run afoul.

Spell check in Word doesn’t like to re-check words and rules it’s already checked. So when you re-use letters, it will only check what you’ve changed. So while you should always proofread whatever you send out, a fresh spell check is also a very good idea.

The spell check for both Microsoft Word and WordPerfect includes an "Options" button, which contains a "Re-check document" option. By clicking on "Re-check document," Spell Check treats your document as a new piece, which in your case is true.

So while you should always proof any piece before it goes out, a fresh spell check from scratch is just a good rule of thumb. You’d be surprised how many mistakes a fresh spell check, even after proofreading, can red flag.

What’s a picture really worth?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:58:00 +0000

“A picture is worth a 1,000 words.” If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 1,000 times. For those of us who write for a living, pictures don’t replace the words we write but give the words we do write a chance to sink in. How?

Pictures, images, even some of the very words we write used as pull-quotes improve readability. Instead of looking at a page entirely of text, the reader can pause a second to take in the picture or image. This lends favorably to the reader actually retaining something about what the written piece is about.

With people skimming through e-mails, newsletters, and articles at breakneck speed, adding images to a piece may not tell the entire story—but it will get the reader to slow down and maybe stay a short while, rather than clicking.

An Ugly Betty of a headline

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 11:36:00 +0000

Another trick copywriters use to write a punchy headline is to invoke some element of pop culture. The latest fad, a popular sitcom, even the number one hit on America’s top 40; all these make for handy attention-getters for your headline.

Case in point, a recent client’s client, an asphalt maintenance company, was holding an Ugliest Driveway contest. Not exactly a topic that lends to a mass audience. So, we came up with a headline that catered to a larger demographic:

“If Ugly Betty can win a Golden Globe, your “ugly driveway” can win you a luxury night out!”

That’s a bit more enticing than "Ugliest Driveway Contest, winner receives a luxury night out!” And since topics like driveway generally appeal to a more masculine audience, we made the headline more mainstream by including a show that’s very popular with women.

That’s not to say you want every headline to have some pop culture reference. Pick your spots. Just make sure it’s something that is fairly well known. A pop culture reference that’s not terribly well known or appropriate for a particular audience can really fall flat on its face.

A secret to protecting yourself against identity theft.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Proofreading. Sure, this may not do you much good against people stealing your mail or going through your trash. But it will absolutely serve you well to become an amateur proofreader to protect yourself against a form of identity theft know as phishing.

We’ve all received those e-mails supposedly from our bank or lending institution “warning” us of a breach of their system and asking you to log on and update your information. Now, if you just browse through these e-mails without thinking twice about the spelling or grammar mistakes you see, you just might click on the link and update. But if you read these missives carefully with your proofreader’s hat on, those typos and grammatical errors should raise a giant red flag.

Why? Lending institutions go through meticulous review processes before sending out anything to customers. Not that every single piece that goes out is flawless. It’s just extremely, extremely unlikely that there would be major typos or mistakes—e.g. saying “your” instead of “you’re”, etc.

So, when you see mistakes like that, you might want to phone the bank and ask them about the correspondence. Or click on the link and see if the name of the bank is actually in the url. Chances are it won’t be. Delete that e-mail immediately.

As a copywriter, you do tend to casually “proof” everything you read out of habit. While it may annoy some, it’s a habit that can serve you well in the business world. Yes, it can help you protect yourself from identity theft scams as in the example. It’s also a good lesson for your own e-mail correspondence.

All too often, people don’t take the time to give their e-mails a quick proof before hitting “send.” Consequently, punctuation, spelling, capitalization and other basic rules of grammar go out the window. Does this raise any major red flags cause you to lose any points? Depends on the person. The real question is, why risk it? Especially when it’s usually just reading something twice.

"How to" write headlines

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:13:00 +0000

No matter how much people might claim otherwise, we like to be told what to do. More accurately, how to do something. Particularly if it’s something we want or something we may want. That’s why headlines that contain “How to” seem to work better.

For example, what reads better to you:

How to improve your golf game

or

Improve your golf game

Both advertise the exact same thing. Yet “how to” implies somebody’s going to show you or teach you, while “improve” comes across like a command. It’s a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless. And if you’re stuck for a headline, “How to [fill in the benefit offered]” works every time.

E-mail on the fritz? Mail2web.com can bail you out.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:07:00 +0000

How many times have you gone to check your e-mail and something not worked? Either you’re not receiving one thing or unable to send something else. No matter how bug-free we think our e-mail setup might be, something always comes up. Thank goodness for Mail2web.com.

This free service allows you to enter your e-mail address and password and get your e-mails. It’s been a lifesaver of mine recently when a client’s e-mail server had some issues. What’s really nice is you can receive attachments no problem and set up the reply e-mail so the recipient can’t tell the difference.

Sure, most ISPs provide a site where you can pick up your e-mails. I’ve used those too and it’s usually worked out as well. Yet if you want a reliable backup plan to receive your e-mail, Mail2web.com is it.

Do “thank you” notes work?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe D') — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:27:00 +0000

Yes and no. As a means of expressing gratitude for (fill in the blank), absolutely. You simply can never say thank you enough. Yet do “thank you” notes gain you any favor or advantage. Possibly.

The problem with most “thank you” notes is they say little more than that. A “thank you” note is an opportunity to get the last word in a conversation, to enhance the impression the recipient has of you or your company. A form letter just doesn’t get that done.

Handwriting a “thank you” note can do the trick. It shows you put a little more effort into the note than a cut-and-paste. But if you want to top off a “thank you” note with a grander gesture, some sort of free offering can make the impression you’re looking for. If you’re in business, sharing some of your wisdom and tricks of the trade is not a bad road to go.

Now, we’re not talking about giving away secret family recipes. But if your company offers white papers, special reports, even recent copies of your newsletter, send a link or include a copy with your note. Ask for their opinion on the piece. Anything you can do to enhance the lasting memory of you and your company is worth including in a “thank you” note. You may only get one chance to make a first impression, but you have just as many chances to create a lasting one. A “thank you” note done right can wedge your foot in the door just enough to kick it open.