What an ad hoc alliance can do

When clients need services I can't provide, I try to connect them with someone who can. In the case of my new client, it was Mary Beth Sanders of Metography Visual Communications.

I had never worked with Mary Beth, but an SF IABC colleague highly recommended her for web design work, and that was good enough for me.

Thanks to Mary Beth's incredible talent and dedication, we delivered all new marketing collateral -- from taglines to templates. Check out the website before and after:

Before:

After:

Of course, the client deserves a lions share of the credit for doing the heavy lifting -- articulating the company mission and vision so we could communicate the message in text and images. Well done, Hokura.

Persuasive writing

Persuasive writing that compels people to act follows these fundamental principles, according to Target Marketing magazine contributor Russell Kern in "B-to-B Insights: A Perfect '10'."

• Get readers' attention with a message that is arresting, compelling, clear and credible.
• Get them involved with a message that is emotional, insightful and informative.
• Convey "WIIFM" by making the message relevant and an offer that's valuable.
• Tell readers what to do with an urgent directive: call, order, click, learn.

Read Michael Stelzner's recap for a concise checklist of the characteristics of persuasive writing.

Your writing

What happens when you remove middlemen from publishing, and people read what other people write -- unedited and unfiltered? Seth Godin posits:

"Without a publisher/editor/boss to blame, your writing is your writing. Your followup is your followup. That means some people become trains without tracks. They just sit there.

"The barriers are gone, the costs are zero. The question is: what are you going to do with your writing?"

This existential question reminds me of when I wrote a few science fiction stories more than a few years ago, and my mom asked why I wanted to write. Her question: "Do you have something to say?" At the time, I had to admit the answer was, "No." I eventually stopped.

Don't stop.

Be heard (TM)

Last week the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) unveiled its new brand guidelines and tagline (Be Heard™) during the 2007 Leadership Institute in San Diego. I'm glad to see my association step up and lead the way toward more credible communication with a tagline that makes such good sense.

Subscribe to news about you

Eavesdrop on what people are saying about your company with an RSS news feed of real-time search results. Corporate blogging Consultant Debbie Weil says it's a "no-cost, real-time way of monitoring the blogosphere and then engaging where appropriate or as time permits." It's a simple two-step process:

1. Create keyword searches with Google News, Technorati and/or Bloglines.
2. For each search, subscribe to the results using RSS by clicking the orange "subscribe" icon.

I created searches for a few of my clients. Very interesting results! If you're not listening in on the conversations, you should be. For detailed instructions, read Debbie's post on how to RSS yourself.

Road crew's message:

"It's not my job." Thanks, Seth. For a recruiter's take on it, read this.

What message does the last job you completed deliver?

Tell a story

In All Marketers are Liars, Seth Godin says great stories are trusted -- and trust is the scarcest resource we have. He says great stories are true. They make and keep a promise. They’re subtle, targeted, and appeal to our senses and world view.

I asked six business communicators: What is your formula for a great story? Here's what they said:

• Make it personal.
• Setup an intriguing problem, and reach a resolution that appeals to the emotions.
• Make it inspirational.
• Resolve conflict, confront strife.
• Use drama.

The age-old case study formula -- challenge, solution, results -- can be adapted to almost any format. It's the classic story arc, from conflict and complication, to crisis, falling action and denouement.

Unbiased PR

Dee Rambeau, co-founder and managing partner of The Fuel Team, developer of the PR Newswire MediaRoom, says an online newsroom is an essential media relations tool and should include accurate, up-to-date content.

I asked six business communicators: How do you deliver credible information, when your bias is a given? Here's what they said:

• Evaluate and train your spokespeople.
• Get third-party endorsements.
• Quote unbiased industry analysts.
• Anticipate and prepare to answer the hard questions.
• See the Kaiser "Thrive" campaign as an example how to respond to negative press.

Brand advocates

Usability Guru Jakob Nielsen says you can empower customers evangelists by providing “advocacy kits,” with product photos, white papers, product comparisons and demos.

I asked six business communicators: What content do you provide that enables customers to become brand advocates? Here's what they said:

• A database of FAQs that customers can easily access and search
• Multimedia content, including audio and video files, for those who learn better that way
• Teaching tools for educators
• Tutorials for adult learners
• References to expert and third-party resources

Culture of trust

When asked, "How do you create a vibrant online community?", Craigslist founder Craig Newmark said the Craigslist community has a culture of trust, which they built by empowering participants to operate the community and control the information they share.

I asked six business communicators: How do you build a culture of trust through your organizational communications? Here's what they said:

• Listen to the conversations that go on in the community.
• Respond to concerns through your communications.
• Understand that trust is reciprocal.
• Nuture a culture of candor.