Keep Your Blog Current, They Say

And then there's that little ditty about the cobbler's children and shoes.

Writing that Works is still in "biz," but lately Diane-the-writer has been writing for the Nurture Marketing & Communication Blog.  Same voice, same sort of advice, different URL. Hope to see you there.

Kohls, CVS and Marketing Programs that could be Better

Marketing is supposed to deepen customer relationships. Unfortunately, much marketing fails because it is not truly helpful to customers - the lifeblood of any business or organization.

When marketing is grounded in customer service, good things happen.

Do your customer service and operations policies support customer service? They should. And if they don't, they're undermining your marketing message.

Bad Examples: The Brands I Love to Hate

I know quite a few customers who have love-hate relationships with Kohl's and CVS because of those companies' preferred shopper programs. Both companies severely discount products to the point that they decrease value; the unintentional message they send is that customers should never pay the "full" price for anything in the store.

CVS's constant couponing is not only sending the wrong message to customers, it's got to be annoying the heck out of CVS associates. 

The employee - ever cheerful! at least at my local stores -  has to scan the shopper's loyalty card, scan any paper coupons, access coupons online, and then sort it all out. 

In the process, sometimes the line at CVS feels a little like the waning minutes of a garage sale or closing time at the farmer's market stand. As the cashier sorts through various discounts, and associated rules (no, this is on sale so you can't use the coupon...this is the wrong size...you only got one...),  customers sometimes try to negotiate. And who wins? 

This probably sounds familiar to Kohl's shoppers, who know that Kohl's Cash can be used for anything in the store (but those expiration dates are set in stone) (unless the manager says otherwise) while the (constant stream of) 10, 20, and 30% off offers cannot be used on certain brands (Nike, UnderArmor, and about anything I might be shopping for on any given day.).

In other words, it's a game. It's a game to get shoppers to return to the store at least monthly  - and it works. But, I say it doesn't develop customers who are loyal to either brand. Both programs train shoppers to frequent stores and try to best the system...get the lowest price...quite often ending up in a negotiation (or outright argument) with store personnel.

Who really wins that game?

Not the customer.
Not the store employee.
And ultimately, not the brand or the company.

Imagine a company that rewards customers for doing business by being helpful, easy to work with, and offering good customer service and a fair value?

Crazy, right?

If that's how you'd like to build your business, get in touch here or contact Nurture Marketing & Communications. 

GOOD NEWS - Content Marketing is Getting More Human

GOOD NEWS! "Good" content is increasingly human, as search (and AI) are making it easier to simply talk to your prospects. And as the midsection of this e-clincher article explains, the next step is to give them reason to talk to you.

And as content marketing takes a nice step toward actual communication, it's time to reconsider the much misunderstood user generated content, or UGC.

Aside - but definitely related to content marketing - how do you feel about gated content? The marketing manager in me says "gate it!" but the information/communication-lover says, maybe not. Marketing Sherpa's 2017 article on the subject still stands up, and as of this writing, Health Catalyst, the company profiled, is still offering an unbelievable amount of very meaty, useful content - ungated.

Bottom line about content marketing: to be of value, both the content and the marketing need to be good.

Quality Content, Content Marketing, and Facebook's Changing Algorithms

Content is everywhere; quality content isn't. Content marketing is using content to draw prospects and customers into (or deeper into) your sales funnel. If marketing is like fishing (can you stand another fishing analogy?) then content is your bait. And the pond is littered with bait, good and bad.

Of course, you're not fishing for fish, you're hoping to hook human customers. So you should know that humans now have an attention span of 8 seconds, or 4 seconds less than goldfish (thus muddying the waters of this whole fishing analogy).

Obviously, your content must not only be good enough to attract prospects, it needs to placed properly and used wisely. For the sake of this article, we'll assume you're convinced that using Facebook to attract prospects is a good idea.*

Good Content is Good Content (and Facebook Knows It)

Facebook is always making changes. (<-- File under "Duh.")  Yet another algorithm change this spring focused (yet again) on keeping users happy. No surprise there, because Facebook does what it does in order to keep users happy. User activity (engagement) is the product that Facebook sells.

So changes announced in April 2019 were designed to improve rankings of content that users really want to see and engage with. "You'll see more posts from friends you want to see posts from," Facebook told users. The company also said those changes were not intended to affect Pages in a specific way. But ;) they have and they will.

The good news is that the definition of good content hasn't changed. The better news is that you may not need to make any changes at all, assuming your content is good and relevant to your audience. The tips below are in line with both Facebook's latest changes and good content practices in general.

1. Be Helpful  -  Good content is good content. Good content is helpful content. Ergo, your goal is to share content that is HELPFUL to your best prospects. That might include sharing a recipe for S'mores when what you're selling has nothing to do with S'mores. Striking a balance in your content mix is the key. 
2. Share Smart - Speaking of sharing, Facebook announced that it is placing a higher value on original content, but frankly, that's not "new" to the platform or to human behavior in general. Original content should, by definition, be more valuable to your (identified) prospects and set you apart from your competition by highlighting your unique offerings. So, don't be afraid to share (attributed) content from other sources, in keeping with a solid content plan. 
3. Images AND Video - Video is the best content, except when it isn't.  Images still get better reach than videos on Facebook -  but keep in mind, that's a pretty non-specific statistic. Remember, the best content for your prospects is what they want and need. (<-- Also file under "Duh.") Experiment with video, both original and from other sources. Look for opportunities to schedule Facebook Live events, but don't invent flimsy reasons to do so - remember, quality content is your goal. Watch your responses (you do analyze your Insights, don't you?) and build on those that get good results for you. 

*Should I Really Use Facebook for My Business?

For most businesses and organizations, Facebook is a worthwhile channel. If you're not sure it's good for your business, or you think it is but you'd like to see a better return on your Facebook efforts, get in touch. 

Avoid Content Overload & Social Media Burnout

Content overload is real. Content's value is also real - and considerable, especially when it's used well to attract prospects and to turn them into customers.

            On the other hand, can content be counterproductive? On 4/8/19, cosmetic brand Lush announced that it's quitting social media. Time will tell how the company's experiment (or social media ploy) works out. My guess is, at the very least, the company is reevaluating its content management plans.

In the face of "more is better" content marketing strategies, I tell clients to consider their own sanity, budget, and what they know about their business before they commit to a blog or another social media channel. 

The Cold, Hard Truth About Business, Life & Content Marketing

Cold hard truth 1 - We all get the same 24 hours a day to work, shop, eat, sleep, play, and read scintillating blog posts. People who are not in the market for a kitchen sink will not spend a lot of time reading blogs or social media posts  - however witty - about kitchen sinks. 

Cold hard truth 2 - Content sells. It also takes time to deliver on its potential - which is huge, Forbes notes. So while witty writing about kitchen sinks can, in fact, sell kitchen sinks, without a good content marketing plan, those sinks are...sunk.

Content Marketing is important because, when done right, it will: 

• Build relationships with existing and potential customers at every point in the sales cycle
• Increase your sales 
• Highlight new opportunities and 
• Offer additional insight into your market

In other words, content IS marketing - when it's done well. 

To do it well, you must have a plan. 

As Alli Berry of The Motley Fool explains,  "every single piece of content you create needs to be mapped to a goal." 

I'm not a Lush cosmetics follower (apparently a lot of people can say that today!) but my best guess is Lush didn't follow a good content marketing plan. 

Balancing Your (Time and Money) Investment in Content and Social Media

I don't have any clients with unlimited budgets. (If you know any, please send them my way.) When making a marketing budget, I advise my clients that their content marketing plan needs to take care of three things:

1. Determine what your prospects want and need to know.
2. Know how to get that information to them (online and off).
3. Create and deliver that content to them - and be ready to follow up. 

If you're wondering why I didn't mention keyword research, PPC advertising, or SEO, see step 1. And 2. And 3.

It's all related, folks. But without a good content marketing plan, trust me, you can waste a lot of money on advertising. And without a thorough understanding of your prospects and buying cycle, you can lose a lot of sales.

Content Marketing for Small Businesses: Play to Your Strengths

You need a website. Maybe you need a blog. And a Facebook Page. Or Instagram. Or Pinterest. Or YouTube. Or not. What about Twitter? Instagram? YouTube?

Don't go with a knee-jerk answer. Don't rely on the last study you read on internet shopping habits. Spend some time analyzing your market, your prospects, and your organization. That's how to plan a  marketing content program that will deliver your best results.
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If you don't have a marketing/content plan that supports your business plan, or you need help executing and making adjustments, get in touch.

Keywords in Content, or SEO 2019 Style

As search evolves to favor natural language, is it worth your time to select and incorporate keywords in your web content? 

That question came up in a blogging presentation I lead earlier this year. My short answer ("yes") was met, surprisingly, with some resistance from other marketing folks who suggested that the returns were hard to justify. For small businesses, and particularly small local businesses with equally small marketing budgets, I understand a reluctance to spend a lot of money on keyword research. But spending more than a few minutes on it in the content development process is still important - even in 2019.

We agreed to moved the presentation along with a factual and accurate compromise of sorts - "Writing for your readers (prospects) is more important than writing for search engines."  

But this is my blog so let me be clear: yes, keywords still matter in 2019.  Small businesses can and certainly should spend the time necessary to use keywords and phrases (naturally, and helpfully) in their marketing content.

Good Business Copywriting Helps Prospects and Customers

Auto Parts Warehouse provides an excellent example of how keywords (in this case, longtail keywords) can be used in truly useful blog content. Headlines like "Where to Buy Wiper Blades" and "Grinding Noise When Braking" get the attention of humans and search engines alike.

I'm willing to bet Auto Parts Warehouse puts more than a little bit of loose change into advertising, link building and other SEO endeavors, too. But let's focus on the humble human with squeaky breaks.

"Grinding Noise When Braking" strikes the right note with said human. In fact, it's probably exactly what he typed in to search. (Hello, keywords.) And when the reader clicks on that search result, guess what happens? That human with squeaky brakes is rewarded with a legitimate article (not an ad or a screaming landing page) chock-full of helpful information. The format is important, too. The article is easy to read with very scannable subheads, sprinkled with keywords, like:

"Worn out wheel bearing"
"Faulty brake pads"
"Rusty Rotors"

See what Auto Parts Warehouse did there? It's the perfect trick, because it's not a trick. The human gets what the human wants: information on the web. The search engines reward Auto Parts Warehouse because the click delivers on those keyword promises. It meets the EAT guidelines in Google's 2018 Q3 update, providing Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. 

Creating good content that's useful and establishes your business as an authority (thereby making people want to do business with you, and refer other customers to you) isn't rocket science, but it takes a little time and planning.

If you know a blog could help grow your business, but don't have time to do it yourself, step on the brakes long enough to get in touch. I'd love to help drive your business forward.
                     ___________________________________

Want to learn more about Semantic Search? Search Engine Journal's article is a good place to start. Really big on DIY projects? You can learn how to create a natural language search for arbitrary objects with deep learning (in 5 easy steps) on Towards Data Science. Just need a copywriter who can reach your customers? I'm right here.


Photo credit: Auto Parts Warehouse blog January 24, 2019

Blogging as More Than a Sales Tool

I recently spoke to a group of small business owners about blogging. The focus was that in addition to being a big-payback element of your content marketing mix, blogging can also help integrate customer service, operations, and other departments with sales and marketing to create a more effective, efficient organization.

Sure, that sounds a little bit pie-in-the-sky, but I'm telling you, I've seen it happen.

Turns out I'm not the only one.

Blogging for Sales & Marketing & Everything Else

Buried in some very good articles (like this one from Moz) are suggestions that blog content isn't "just" good for generating leads and turning prospects into customers.

Here's the key: while your blog content is developed for leads and prospects, it can also be useful to YOUR organization, from the inside out.

A blog post about what to do when your widget fails unexpectedly - directed at your prospects - can also be required reading inside your organization. Then, when a customer comes in complaining that a widget failed unexpectedly, no matter who handles that complaint, they'll be prepared.

Blog posts about services you provide, or high-end products that are new to your mix, are another good example.

Again, the content created with your prospects in mind should be required reading within your company. That will ensure that everyone in your organization is on the same page - so when a sales opportunity presents itself, whoever recognizes that opportunity is ready with a response that advances the sales process.

Make Your Blog Useful, Inside and Out

I'm a big proponent of cross-training and think silos are silly (except on farms). I've found that blogging about a problem is a great way to solve (or at least, productively address) that problem.

Look no further than your complaint box (or Twitter feed) and you'll see plenty of fodder for your next few (dozen) blog posts.

________________________

Cross-training sometimes gets a bad reputation. In some cases, it can be used to train highly competent people to do the jobs of their less-productive co-workers. But when used as a tool to improve overall operations, it really rocks. 

For help creating a content mix that works for you and your customers and your employees, contact a writer who understands business. That's me. Get in touch.

Excellent Example from Neiman Storyboard

I appreciate writing about writing that's really worth reading. Nieman Storyboard delivers, often. I found a recent article about how to get the attention of an editor at Smithsonian magazine especially instructive.

Hope you do too!

It's hard to ignore Smithsonian's great graphics.  Cover image from the article by Katia Savchuk. 







Here's to a holiday season filled with great reading and writing.

Your Website Doesn't Have to Be Fancy to Be Fantastic

Here's another #ExcellentExample - in this case, a good-looking website that does its job.

Take a look at the Halvorson Design website. It's not fancy, but fancy isn't the point.

The point is to get prospects to call the firm.

So Why Does This Website Work? 

• It's clean, easy to navigate and understand. (Life is distracting enough.) Hint: white space helps!
• It's up-to-date! Prospects can see right away that the firm is busy and on the ball. Sharing succinct messages about recently-completed projects tells the world: we get things done.
• A site visitor's next step is obvious. In this case, the call to action is subtle, but clear. (For professional services, subtle is good. If you're selling consumer goods, you'll NEED TO BE A LITTLE LOUDER.)  On each page of the design firm's site, the contact is clearly listed on the right of the page. With a lot of white space...nothing to get in the way of your decision to call. Nice.

#ExcellentExample, Halvorson Design!

If You Don't Have a Website, Don't Panic

You don't need an expensive website. You do need a plan. Clean design and updated content gives prospective customers confidence; it makes them want to work with you. 

You can do this. We can do this. Not sure? Here's a shot of confidence for you.

Website Reality Check summer special

Do you need a little help with your website? Have you been managing your site in-house and find you're falling behind?

Want a different set of eyes and a fresh perspective on your site?

A Website Reality Check can make a BIG difference, and through the end of the month, it comes at a much lower rate. Find out more; book now to save.

What do you get from a Website Reality Check? 

• Broken links, typos, missing tags identified
• Initial review of UX/UI 
• More...

What's the discount?

More than 50%! The initial consultation is reduced to $45; per-page rate just $35* for the month of July only. 

*Limited to the first 5 projects booked. 

Remember: in most cases your website is the first impression customers get of your business. Make sure it's a good one.

Video Marketing May or May Not Be What Your Business Needs

Video is everywhere, and there are dozens of tools to help you do it well and inexpensively. The cost to hire an expert video firm is dropping, too, thanks to competition.

But before you say, "hey, maybe it's time we invest in video," here's another idea:

Ask yourself if you really need it. Ask yourself if your prospects and customers want it. Ask yourself if you're committed to making it worthwhile.

Because if the answer to any of those questions is less than an enthusiastic yes, you need to go back to the Content Drawing Board, also known as Marketing Plan 101.

________________________________

Yes, I'm a copywriter, content manager, marketing communications professional and all-around lover of words. But, I don't believe in content for content's sake. Want to talk about how content can help you attract the right kind of prospects and turn them into customers you'll love doing business with? 

Let's get together. 

________________________________

<< This is a good example of smart video marketing. Why?
1. The right tool for the right audience - college students and interns are eating up video.
2. What's better than a testimonial? a testimonial on video!
3. The live event will live as relevant marketing collateral for at least the rest of the summer, probably well into the fall, or even spring semester.

New to video? Periscope is Twitter's video tool; Facebook Live threatened to eclipse it in 2016. Instagram has its own (stories). It's important to note that you don't need to use social media to use video (and vice-versa) - and the tools to create video are getting better, cheaper, and easier to use every day. 

So while it's easy to get overwhelmed (or excited) about the tools, the important thing to remember is that, unless you're in the movie-making business, video is about marketing. 

The tools change constantly; the principles remain pretty much the same. File under "Common Sense Marketing." If you like the sound of that, get in touch. 

So Maybe You Should Have a Blog

I've played devil's advocate and come up with some instances in which you may not want or need a blog for business. But for the most part, blogging is good for business - any kind of business.

Interestingly, GoDaddy has a lot of good stuff to say about blogging. I say interesting because GoDaddy isn't really big in supporting its users with blogging tools. Go figure.

Anyway, blogging is good for business. Seriously.  See what GoDaddy says about it here:
https://www.godaddy.com/garage/smallbusiness/launch/how-to-write-a-great-blog-post/

Here's another perspective on how blogging augments your PR efforts, too:
http://ducttapemarketingconsultant.com/blogging-is-public-relations-tool/

_________________________________
Need help starting or updating your blog?
I can do that.








7/7/17 UPDATE: Yet another article with some good advice on making your blog more productive, from Mark Shaefer's Businesses Grow.

Copyediting, Line editing, Proofreading - what's the difference and what do you need?

"How much do you charge for proofreading?" sounds like a very innocent question, and one that should be easy to answer.

Unfortunately, a short answer is probably going to be wrong. Or at least make somebody unhappy (me or my client).

It seems like everyone - including the "experts" - have different ideas about what constitutes proofreading, light editing, copyediting...you get the idea.

This is why, when asked to quote a job, I usually say, "Well, it depends. What do you want?"

I"m not hedging. I'm trying to get it right - for all involved.

Below are links to some "definitive" descriptions about "general" proofreading and editing work. Keep in mind, these are general guidelines for "regular" copy. Typically, costs to edit industry-specific or very technical writing are double or even higher.

• A book editor's view from 2015
• An editors' forum tries to nail Jello to the wall...
• And what The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill tells students about proofing and editing

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Would you like some help proofreading or editing your marketing copy, website, or other business communications? Let's talk. Let's get it right.

Introducing the Facepalm Marketing Series

When I wrote Don't Have a Webinar if You Have Nothing to Say, I didn't realize there would be so much more where that came from. Unfortunately, I seem to have found a rich source of ideas for a new stream of content, which I am calling The Facepalm Marketing Series.

Welcome. You may wish to take a moment to sigh before we begin.

This week, I was eager to attend another webinar on email content. When it comes to email marketing, it's difficult to get a good grip on the "rules" beyond the basics. (The basics being start with good lists, include nice images but mind your load time, offer safe unsubscribe options, run A/B tests and use smart - but not TOO clever - subject lines. Whew. And those are just the basics.) 

Imagine my excitement when I signed up for a webinar offering a few insights into current trends in email and sample campaigns. (Maybe I need to get out more.) Now imagine my dismay when the presentation focused on content marketing in general and most of the examples cited were from blogs and landing pages.

Insert facepalm here.

In case you're wondering, the company hosting the webinar was not the same as the one that hosted the 17-minute wonder a few weeks ago. I'm not sure how long this annoying series will last, but I'm pretty sure we can look forward to a few more installments, at least.

Better Email Marketing Examples Are Out There

Also, in case you're interested in email marketing trends from a more worthy source, consider following the Moz Email Marketing blog. I sincerely doubt it will provide me with any new Facepalm material.

Stay alert, my marketing friends.
______________________________________
Before I accept an assignment to create content for a client, I like to be sure we both understand the point of the project. If that sounds like a waste of time to you, please don't contact me. 

The Numbers Say, Take Social Media Seriously

What's social media worth to your business? Do you need a blog?

Consider this scenario:
A business has an overall bounce rate of 44% - but the bounce rate for visitors coming (to the same website) from social media channels is 18%.

Stats from the same business, same month:
(Overall) average page views from organic traffic: 1.7
Average page views from traffic referred by Facebook: 2.8
Average page views from visitors referred by blog: 4.4

Old-school sales people like to talk about priming the pump and filling the funnel...and there's a reason social media and content managers use the same phrases.

Sales and marketing have always been about relationship building. Only the tools have changed.

Prospects are referred, customers are educated, leads are nurtured, relationships are developed and sales are made...when people connect with your content.
____________________________________

Get Writing that Works, and grow your business with excellent content. 

3 Business Tips that don't involve Marketing Content

As content marketing professionals go, I've been told I'm...different. (OK; the word "weird" has come up a time or two.) I'm perfectly happy to play to that crowd.

While I'm a BIG fan of (good) content, there are many other pieces of the puzzle to making your organization a whole and happy one. Here are three to consider:

Find out how working with other organizations can help yours (and theirs). In other words, talk to other people. It's painfully obvious and simple, and there's absolutely no guarantee of immediate payback. Try it anyway. A meeting about your business and someone else's can lead to wonderful opportunities for both of you. Be straightforward about wanting share ideas and learn from each other. Start by asking: "Any chance you're free to discuss areas of potential collaboration?"


Require your employees to use good manners with each other and with everyone who interacts with your business or organization. I wrote about HR and employment law for 12 years. Trust me, there are a lot of things you can't require of employees. Making it mandatory to say "thank you" and generally be helpful and courteous while they're representing your company is still TOTALLY legal. If you'd like, I'd be happy to help you write it into your employee manual.



When you buy promotional items, buy good ones. Cheap pens! Thin t-shirts! Ugly mugs! In a word, NO. If you're putting your logo on it, it should work - and look good.

    ___________________________________              

Looking for a writer who "gets" business? I'm that kind of different. 

DianeStresing.com

Better Headlines + Better Content = Better Reader Action

Headlines matter. Unless the point of your content is JUST to get clicks, the article that follows the headline needs to be good, too.

Here are 3 good articles on headlines from some content leaders: 

Dam good headline.

A recent post from Inbound.org reminds us why the big picture (whole content enchilada) matters.

Sort of on the flip side, however, is the classic approach - the essentials, in a nutshell, I learned in my Advertising 101 class. Important note - this addresses advertising headlines.

Betteridges' Law (and Columbia Journalism Review) reminds us that headlines - especially headlines in the form of questions - can be too clever. Especially when you need readers to get past the headline. Because it's CJR, the article also offers some exceptional advice, as applicable to writers as it is to readers: “You’ve always got to question what you read.” 

The bottom line: Good copywriting attracts and keeps readers.
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Need a writer who thinks about your readers? Get in touch.

What Ghostwriters Write (Hint: Everything)

A lot of titles in the business world are misunderstood. Most of them, I would argue. That said, if you ever meet a copywriter with a big chip on his or her shoulder, I hope you'll cut her (OK, me) some slack. 

Most copywriters could also be called "ghostwriters," and although neither is a particularly lofty title, in our information-laden world, writers of all ilks* deserve some more…consideration, for starters. (More compensation, too - but I'll leave that topic for another day.)

What Do Ghostwriters and Copywriters Write? Everything

In the past year or so, I've written about employment placement services, OSHA regulations, e-parking apps, replacement windows, agricultural dust control products, hand-crafted jewelry, landscaping services and bulk mulch products, mobile pet grooming services, PeopleSoft implementations, escape room games, marketing automation, keratin hair straightening processes, online accounting services, floral arrangements, appointment-setting software, lead paint remediation products, snow plowing and ice management techniques and a variety of medical conditions, surgeries and treatments, and reimbursement systems affecting both patients and providers. 

Over approximately the same time period, my work has also appeared in three Forbes blogs, The Huffington Post, and a couple of other places I can't mention.

Do Ghostwriters Create Policies and Procedures? Some Do

I've written policies and procedural manuals for employees of companies where I've never been employed. And by written, I don’t mean wrangled someone else's words, but written meaning created and developed the policy (after discussions with several company principles or department head) and then re-written, for stakeholder approval. I have not written public policy but many a hired-gun copywriter has. Sorry if that ruins your romantic notion about politicians and other public servants but hey, they're busy people. (Do you have any idea how much time it takes to raise enough money to run for office?)

My point? Information is a tricky thing. Regardless of the expert's name on an article or the name of the publication, it's quite possible the piece you're reading was written by a copywriter with a basic journalism degree in his (or her) back pocket, an unimpressive balance in his (or her) bank account, and a whole lot of secrets. 

Professional Ghostwriters are Not in the Fake News Business

This rant about ghostwriting/copywriting is absolutely not intended to be a jab at journalism, public relations, corporate information, business blogs or any other form of writing. Quite the contrary. Journalists are trained to research, investigate, interview and quickly disseminate information - real, helpful information. Not "just the facts," but the facts plus context. 

When you need to provide accurate, clear, helpful information to a particular audience, you need a professional communicator. Now, maybe you won’t be afraid to say “ghostwriter.”

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*Like copywriters, ilk is a word that doesn't get a lot of respect. (While many modern spell-check programs don't recognize it, Merriam-Webster does.) I love how internet retailer Woot uses "ilk" in an ad for a bag that's definitely not elk. 

As long as I'm using Woot's image, I should point out that the company appears to "get" copywriting and all forms of marketing/communications. Kudos to Woot, Ghostwriters, and Elks everywhere.