tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75363207311435685582011-12-01T06:02:16.983-08:00Words matter. They are your opportunity to tell the world why they should be buying your products and services. What you say, how you say it, and who you say it to are all important. Here are ideas from my experience as a business writer and marketing consultant.Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.comBlogger511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-42052612077493601722011-11-28T04:02:00.001-08:002011-11-30T07:29:44.637-08:00

You can’t beat face-to-face conversations for selling to customers. We’re not always there to talk though. That’s when the power of written words really counts. In ads, web sites, brochures, newsletters and more, it’s the written words that have to make the sale. Grab attention If someone lands on your web site, you have seconds to persuade them that they should hang around and read a

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-29681671253478334902011-11-08T04:13:00.000-08:002011-11-08T04:39:38.267-08:00

Direct mail, its online sibling, e-campaigns and advertising are favourite tools for spreading messages to large potential audiences. Increasingly businesses of all sizes are dipping their toes into social media - attracting attention through Twitter, Facebook business pages, and - soon to come - Google business pages. While these messages reach a wide audience, that doesn’t automatically mean

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-30763613028769570382011-08-26T04:44:00.000-07:002011-11-02T01:26:18.899-07:00

Are you an expert in your field? Do you get asked to write about what you know by your marketing department? How do you go about that task? I ask because I find so many times that people write what they think they should write, not what they know. Marketing departments ask me to help shape knowledge into words that make sense to customers. The expert has put together the first cut, and it's

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-19150832497661143232011-08-02T04:24:00.000-07:002011-08-02T04:24:55.751-07:00

Once upon a time I was an editor at Butterworth Scientific which published technical journals and books. As well as honing my own journalistic skills I spent many happy hours editing and proofreading content from our contributors. Almost as many moons ago I used this knowledge in a collaborative chapter with the late, great Ron Brown from KBC on editing technical writing. It's old, but it's

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-42455932269044681372011-06-30T02:06:00.000-07:002011-11-02T01:28:33.265-07:00

Once upon a time, when I was the editor of a technology magazine, I would receive a daily mountain of press releases about new products and services. We were short of space for this sort of news and short of time to put those pages together. We had to find a way of quickly sifting the wheat from the chaff. I will admit now, many years later, that one of our criteria became the speed at which we

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-91392229812139998202011-06-21T08:26:00.000-07:002011-11-02T01:30:47.904-07:00

There are some rules in English language that are hard to understand and remember, but can really annoy your knowing readers if you get them wrong. These are a few that people have asked me about recently. Please feel free to add or argue. Some of this is simply about whether you use UK English or US English. Less and fewer Less of one thing. Fewer of several things. Less cheese. Fewer

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-1905336703231139682011-05-05T01:58:00.000-07:002011-05-05T01:58:59.887-07:00

When I stood up at my first networking meeting and announced that I was a copywriter, I was met with blank faces all round – apart from those already in the know. Afterwards I realised that I had done exactly what I exhort people not to do. I had talked about what I offer in the language of my own industry, when I should have been talking in the language of my audience. So this is what I said

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-32770632937919082011-03-14T03:07:00.000-07:002011-03-14T03:19:31.636-07:00

During August 2012, the Olympic Games in London and the South East of England will be playing host to 15,000 athletes, 50,000 volunteers and 800,000 visitors. And that's just while the Games are taking place. Many visitors and athletes will be in the country for much longer than that. They'll need places to stay, food and drink, entertainment, travel and much more. And all those hotels,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-80030843730681151972011-02-25T03:20:00.000-08:002011-02-25T03:35:36.197-08:00

I’ve been writing case studies for a long time. Even before I started being called a copywriter, I was a journalist and writing up real-life stories for magazines. Over time I’ve developed strategies for getting the best story down on the keyboard with the minimum of struggle. These are tips from my experience. Before we get started, a couple of definitions to avoid confusion. When I say “client

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-50474217509087649032011-02-15T04:52:00.000-08:002011-11-02T01:36:11.223-07:00

Want to complete the sale and have your customer return for more? Here are a few tips: 1. Don't hide the price until the last minute 2. Do make it clear whether VAT or your local sales tax is included 3. Don't add heavy charges at the end for delivery 4. Or add booking and administration charges (especially per ticket) 5. Do offer a free returns policy so people can try before they buy 6. Don't

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-36987905893062548042011-02-03T09:55:00.000-08:002011-11-02T02:15:19.279-07:00

1. We've rebranded the company and have a fantastic new web site to show for it 2. We've just returned from a brilliant golfing holiday to Portugal with our top 2% of customers 3. We have two new receptionists and an office manager and here are their happy, smiling faces 4. Please fill in this extensive survey 5. If you want more information, just go to our web site and see if you can find

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-5889226631877981232011-01-24T06:48:00.000-08:002011-01-24T06:48:19.469-08:00

Those immensely knowledgeable people at Marketing Sherpa have provided an insight into using content in the B2B sales process, available for a short time only. Many of the thoughts of their three contributors fall in line with my own experience as a copywriter, so here's a summary of their discussion, together with some words of my own. 1 Make everything work together. Everyone should know what

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-56333553859732959482011-01-24T02:53:00.000-08:002011-11-02T01:37:11.127-07:00

It's the simplest thing to start with, but it's amazing how many people forget this bit. What should be in lights on your home page? On the front of your brochures? Not just your name, but what you do and who you do it for. Get some friends of friends to visit your web site. People who know nothing about your business. See if they can tell what you're selling and why they'd want to buy it in

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-30737098593549586922010-08-04T02:43:00.000-07:002010-08-04T02:43:57.038-07:00

The writer James Joyce was said to have remarked that he took years to write his most dense novel, and therefore he expected readers to take just as long to work through it. (At least that's what my English teacher told me he said.) Do you feel the same way about your writing? Joyce was an extreme sentence writer - some could last whole chapters. But we're all sometimes guilty of just not being

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-89022352558419655972010-06-23T05:55:00.000-07:002011-11-08T04:14:16.412-08:00

When Mary Portas helped three sisters to revamp and relaunch their greengrocer business on BBC2 the other night, she presented them with three words that would represent their brand as they competed with national supermarkets. Mary wanted to focus on a niche market that provided local, fresh and less (no pile them high and sell it cheap philosophy here). Have you thought about the three words

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-75228012146933572082010-06-14T02:02:00.000-07:002010-06-14T02:02:00.704-07:00

Have just been helping a new client with their brochure copy. They had already written the text, but recognised that it wasn't quite there. Two things stood out to me as needing attention: - it was very wordy - it was about the client, not about their customers It's very easy to write too much. If you've ever had to write an essay of at least x number of words, you know how easy it is to pad

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-54465571226994960602010-05-10T06:31:00.000-07:002010-05-10T06:31:09.870-07:00

Traditionally - if you can have traditionally on the Internet - the home page has played a hugely important role in presenting a business to visitors. It's where you tell people what you are and what you do, why they want to do business with you, and how they can follow links to more information. With the rising importance of Google and other search engines, the importance of the home page is

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-33712772734301028022010-05-04T01:48:00.000-07:002010-05-04T01:48:25.766-07:00

When you're writing content for your web site, or your brochures, or your leaflets, it's important to consider your audience at all times. Can you characterise your audience by its age group, its interests, its education level? Understanding your audience will help you pitch your writing at a level that informs without either blinding with science or patronising. For an example, here's what

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-27659670184706786522010-04-27T01:32:00.000-07:002010-04-27T01:32:39.958-07:00

If you've decided to manage your own content creation projects, chances are you'll be bringing together skilled partners such as copywriters, web designers and SEO firms. You'll need to brief all these suppliers on what your project is about, and a great place to start is with a creative brief. This is a document that tells your suppliers essentially what they need to know to get started on your

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-47434976742134848162010-04-12T04:25:00.000-07:002010-04-26T03:09:41.316-07:00

If you're using email, Twitter, Facebook or any other online tool for marketing, does that mean you don't need perfect writing? Is it now true that the speed at which messages come and go mean that volume is more important than quality? If you opt for fast and furious rather than well-crafted content, you put your business credibility at risk. Rapid response is good, but if your writing is

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-63546428595118109312010-03-02T06:39:00.000-08:002010-03-02T06:39:34.906-08:00

Time was when you had to convince a publisher to print and distribute your book. Or a magazine editor to take your article. Not any more. Here's an excellent round-up of tools that let you publish yourself on the web.

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-25003728238637707882010-02-24T02:35:00.000-08:002010-02-24T02:37:38.076-08:00

At a breakfast briefing this morning (bacon rolls if only I'd got the chance to eat one) we talked about selling through great customer service. There was discussion about creating a welcoming bricks and mortar reception and training staff to be friendly, helpful and informative. They won't be pushing your products and services with every sentence. They'll be selling the idea of doing business

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-25741572199311366382010-01-26T02:43:00.000-08:002010-01-26T02:43:25.061-08:00

When you're writing sales copy, be it your web site content, direct mail or advertising, it's very easy to get carried away with singing your own praises. Today's customers are pretty sharp though, and will recognise hype when they see it. If you want to impress, respect your customers, be honest and give great service. That means: Not over-stating what your product or service can do. Don't

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-57506400396402542182010-01-19T00:55:00.000-08:002010-01-19T00:55:35.922-08:00

When you're working on writing projects, you'll find your progress is dependent on others as much as yourself. You need to set up times to talk to knowledge owners, move along the review and feedback process, and achieve final sign-off from all the parties involved. If you're working on several documents at once, remembering who needs to do what when gets even harder. Putting your work in

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-18822599641547822472010-01-12T02:11:00.000-08:002010-01-13T00:01:54.885-08:00

When you send out an online newsletter, sales letter or invitation, you want your audience to find out more by clicking on a link that takes them to a place where they can find out more and buy. How much do you think about the positioning and look of your web links? 1. Are they saying something useful? "Click here" gets your reader to the next page, but it's much better to say something like "

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-36176124521669361792010-01-06T00:58:00.000-08:002010-01-12T14:20:04.781-08:00

As a copywriter, I'm bound to say yes. Just consider though, the drawbacks of not taking the time to check what you're publishing. If what you are saying isn't crystal clear your audience won't understand what you are trying to say you will lose credibility for your business and your products you won't get even interested readers through to the point where you make a sale Some people argue that

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-24520697151399894092009-12-29T03:01:00.001-08:002009-12-29T03:11:02.335-08:00

Once you've made a sale, how do build and maintain a relationship with your customer? Do you wait for them to come back to your site again, or do you invite them to receive offers and information on a regular basis? If you aim to maintain contact, you have opportunities to become a preferred vendor and make further sales.Despite tight budgets, at least half of marketers are refusing to cut their

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-48657434159261615862009-12-09T01:57:00.000-08:002009-12-09T02:03:46.856-08:00

In our family we have a copywriter (me) and a web developer. Together we are almost permanently puzzled.We are confused by the high percentage of our clients who pay us to write or design their web sites, brochures, case studies and more, but never quite get round to publishing them. They are perfectly happy to settle the invoice, but our work never sees the light of day. Why all this waste?The

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-74567357488158553292009-12-02T03:51:00.000-08:002009-12-02T03:55:27.034-08:00

Having a web site is not enough to get visitors to your site. Amongst the many techniques for attracting traffic, blogging is considered to be one of the most effective.Blogging for business is more than writing a diary. You can use a blog to share your knowledge, report on your experiences within your field, highlight market developments, and share useful and interesting links with your

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-28023927837699855682009-10-13T05:10:00.000-07:002009-10-13T05:20:09.376-07:00

White papers, brochures, data sheets and case studies do influence potential technology purchasers even before the sales cycle begins, but for maximum impact those pieces of collateral have to be well written.So says research carried out by marketing communications agency Eccolo Media Ltd amongst 500 technology purchasers and buying influencers.White papers rule as the most influential piece of

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-78622332740630687072009-09-30T02:41:00.000-07:002009-09-30T02:52:49.563-07:00

Do you ever receive - or send - totally unintelligible emails? Just because someone hasn’t bothered through lack of time or interest to re-read what they’ve written before they hit the “send” button? Happens all the time with friends and it’s easy to go back and ask they what they really meant. But when it’s business, it’s much more difficult. It’s when you’re talking to total strangers,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-30843140823973768782009-09-02T02:47:00.000-07:002009-09-02T03:02:11.028-07:00

When you're advertising, leafleting, sending out direct mail - what do you suggest the reader does next? They could just give you a call, or you could give them a web site address for further information. That could be your general web site, or you could put together a special page - a landing page - that relates to your promotional campaign. How helpful would that be to encouraging sales?Say you

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-198400967798341082009-08-13T03:43:00.000-07:002009-08-13T03:47:46.739-07:00

We are generally advised that once we have some customers, we should keep in touch with them regularly. An e-newsletter can be the way to go. But my plea is that you don't just send out newsletters because the diary says it's time. How about only saying something when you've got something to say? And that something has to be a something that your readers have a chance of caring about. Using

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-11141353407655436792009-07-30T02:41:00.000-07:002009-07-30T02:51:18.513-07:00

Writing "advertorials", where you get an article published free (possibly in exchange for paying for advertising), is a really good way of getting your business noticed. You might have editorial in a local paper supplement, or get a story into a magazine where the deal is that you write it yourself.As an ex-editor myself, I know some of the pitfalls that unpractised contributors face. So here are

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-65715572546635819092009-06-24T04:25:00.000-07:002009-06-24T04:27:35.925-07:00

Just been asked to give a web site a quick overview to see why it's not attracting many visitors, or turning visits into sales. Reviewing someone else's business really reminds you of things you should have done for yourself...1. Think hard about the name of your business. Our name – Wrightwell – seemed like a bit of fun when we coined it 20 years ago. After all, I do write well, IMHO. But:

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-54397653130752993202009-06-03T04:32:00.001-07:002009-06-03T04:35:51.182-07:00

Once upon a time, getting published was tough. Now everyone can say what they want to say on the Internet.Only got time for a few pithy words? Tweet on Twitter. Want to pontificate, inform or rant on a regular basis? A blog like this one is great. And now, you can publish your thoughts at length, in an e-book.Today there are one million e-book readers at large on the Internet. In just five years,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-80161803038813360972009-04-03T02:18:00.001-07:002009-04-03T02:18:39.498-07:00

Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers and your colleagues. They require a bit of thought first though, to ensure you are providing useful and interesting information, and that everyone will benefit as a result. Here are some top tips for newsletter writing. 1. Who is your audience? Customers or staff? This affects the sort of story you include. Staff changes are

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-91658677423470648222009-03-30T02:16:00.000-07:002009-03-30T02:22:04.439-07:00

I love reading letters pages in the national papers. So often the writers of the shorter letters are pithy and thoughtful - but with their viewpoints all squeezed into a few cogent words.Last week, a contributor to one letters page wrote to say he had offered his services as a proofreader to his local UK Member of Parliament after browsing the MP's web site. The MP rather surprisingly replied by

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-84256692174914898772009-03-18T06:22:00.000-07:002009-03-18T06:27:38.817-07:00

In an effort to stop local councils from using impenetrable jargon, the UK Local Government Association has issued a list of 200 banned terms. As the LGA chairman Margaret Eaton said: “"If a council fails to explain what it does in plain English then local people will fail to understand its relevance to them or why they should bother to turn out and vote.” It's not a hard task to edit that

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-51692817339989951332009-03-16T05:04:00.000-07:002009-03-16T05:13:37.749-07:00

I am coming across a growing number of their clients who are rejecting direct mail marketing, are putting their faith almost entirely in search engine optimisation (SEO) to bring in new customers.Take one of the reseller partners of a major software company. It's just one of many similar businesses across the country, offering much the same mix of implementation, consultancy and support. I've

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-68406394620873355492009-03-04T00:56:00.001-08:002009-03-04T00:57:50.252-08:00

After refreshing my web site recently I've been taking time out to brush up on search engine optimisation (SEO) skills. These are the techniques you can use to push your web site up to the top of search engine rankings. Find a phrase that describes your business accurately, that is regularly used in searches, but that few competitors have on their web sites, build it into your web copy, and

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-38543605539369985102009-02-18T02:51:00.001-08:002009-02-18T02:53:22.582-08:00

Here's an example of why it's a really good idea to understand your audience and tailor your message to suit them. This invitation was sent to a Yahoo group whose members have a slight interest in statistics to help them with predicting racing winners. The email is pitched at such a level though, that instead of being encouraged to attend, the recipients were bemused. And instead of bolstering

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-43564950043712886632008-11-25T03:03:00.000-08:002008-11-25T03:05:59.980-08:00

Have just heard that the latest press release I wrote for a small but up-and-coming business has now been published in over 60 sources, with many still to be counted. The copy I produced has been published almost unchanged – except to be edited for length in some cases, and to be given the byline of an inhouse staffer in some cases!This is huge success for this company, which focuses on press

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-89469902842300193612008-04-22T04:52:00.000-07:002008-04-22T04:54:31.300-07:00

Email newsletters are a great way of keeping in touch with your customers. Approached the right way, an email newsletter will: remind people that you are still here and ready to serve themannounce your new products and servicesemphasise your expertise in your area to underline your credibilityultimately, help increase your sales As with any venture though, your success

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-85837487361591284512008-01-22T04:58:00.000-08:002008-01-22T04:59:46.524-08:00

One of the most useful phrases I ever had directed at me when I was a graduate trainee in sales and marketing was “So what?” Sounds a bit offensive, but actually it was great training for roles in both marketing (which I wanted to do) and sales (which the company wanted me to do). We were asked to present specific products to pseudo-customers. We read the brochures and we read the data

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-26710854900856735962008-01-21T02:14:00.000-08:002008-01-21T02:15:19.533-08:00

Every industry and every business has its own language. Very often it’s not the same language as its customers. So if your web site and keywords are full of corporate-speak rather than customer-speak, you won’t be getting the hits you deserve. Here’s an example. Content expert Gerry McGovern carried out research on how consumers in the US and the UK search for cheap flights. "In the United

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-54138973111209114522008-01-15T06:16:00.001-08:002008-01-15T06:16:50.176-08:00

Have you ever found yourself sitting behind a truck on a clogged up motorway and idly wondered just exactly what service they’re advertising splashed across the rear doors? You’ve been looking at the slogan for the last half hour, but you’re none the wiser as to what they’re actually offering. What a waste that slogan is for that business. There’s a very strong possibility that you’ve been

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-91897626762861745662007-08-22T01:31:00.000-07:002007-08-22T01:39:39.851-07:00

The people at SubscriberMail have put together a list of a 100+ words and phrases that will deter your audience from receiving your emails, let alone reading them. As well as the more obvious "As seen on" and "online pharmacy" there are other phrases that you may actually have thought of including in your email marketing:"Free""x% off""Amazing""Apply now""Compare""Double your""Get""Information

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-1001261422106031642007-03-26T03:19:00.000-07:002007-03-26T05:05:51.402-07:00

Clearing out the filing cabinets this weekend, I came across an article I co-wrote about editing for the handbook of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communications. I wrote this article with Ronald Brown, the principal technical communicator at KBC Process Technology, and I am delighted to see that although the handbook was originally published eight years ago, it is still in print,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-57189716754126796292007-01-22T02:36:00.000-08:002007-01-22T02:43:09.522-08:00

It's a horrible feeling. You finally get your beautifully crafted brochure printed, and people start pointing out the typos. Why didn't you spot them before you went to press? You read it over and over again. You should have noticed them. The truth is, we read what we think we wrote, not what we actually wrote. That's why getting someone else to proofread for you is absolutely vital. Not only can

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-81724186709671630092007-01-15T05:42:00.000-08:002007-03-13T02:11:21.386-07:00

It happens so easily. And it happens to businesses of all sizes. Maybe you launched the site in a bit of a hurry (and who doesn’t?). Maybe it’s been a while since anyone in the business has had time to look at what’s there. If they did, they might find that new content has introduced overlaps and inconsistencies. Perhaps when new information has been posted, old, out-of-date stuff hasn’t

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1