What Do Your Images Say? What Do You Want Them to Convey?

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, you really need to choose your pictures carefully. Below, two examples I came across this week.

This one is good, because it's believable. 

And borderline great, because it's funny. 

This one is not so good. Because, we were never that close. 

Whether words or pictures (or both) are your tools of choice, communicate what you want to communicate, people.

If your business communication need an infusion of straight talk (or a little snark, even), get in touch. I'm a writer who gets business...and I can help you get your message across.

Social Media Advice You Wouldn't Expect from a Writer

Google's Hummingbird is still flying high and it's made a lot of content producers sing, but it hasn't revolutionized content or search yet. And I suspect it never will. 

I've said for years, and written many times, that content rocks sales, content rules, and content matters. Or it should. But it may be more accurate (especially for small businesses) to say that it doesn't have to be good content. 

Bear with me, there are some important caveats to this assertion. 

Small businesses with loyal clients and great customer service can get by with bad content. I think it's safe to say those same small businesses - with loyal clients and great customer service - must have a good online presence to continue to flourish, but their content doesn't really have to be stellar to stay alive. 

To grow, well, that's a different matter. 

But let's say you have a single-location, bricks and mortar location in which you offer hair styling products and services. If your clients are happy, word of mouth is going to be your primary source of new business. A static, even woefully simple website and a reasonable presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram (yes, "or" not "and") will be plenty to keep your business healthy assuming you do everything else right. 

While I love to turn up my nose at the misspellings, bad grammar, poorly considered claims and copyright infringements I see on many small business Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, the fact is, if you have a good handle on your core business and treat your customers well, bad grammar is NBD. If you know firsthand of an example in which a small business lost a customer because of poor posting etiquette, I'd love to hear about it. 

Writing Contests! Somebody has to win...

...and it might as well be YOU, right?

From food and love (is that redundant?) to health, fingernails, and cleaning products, About guide Sandra Graushopf  keeps her list of writing contests current.

Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs

It's a pangram, not a personality disorder. A pangram or "alphabet sentence" contains all the letters of the alphabet, and I've had the great pleasure of reading them while shopping for fonts lately.

The Dancing Pen Calligraphy website lists a bunch. Consider it your silly online procrastination tool of the day. (You're welcome.)

Of course I've added Pangram Developer to my list of dream writing jobs, next to Captcha Writer,  Pokemon Card Copywriter, and Bakugan Namer.

Well, that's why they're called "dream" jobs...

OK, on a slightly more serious note: smart font choices can make your website work better, your presentations more memorable, and you the envy of all your friends. Mmmm well, two out of three are proven.

~Diane Stresing

Watch Your Words, and Not Just on Facebook

What's in a word? Maybe clues to your personality, how many friends you have, and the future of your business.

Sure, this is partly to remind you of the value good writing ;)  but wait, there's more - in this great article about marketing and your approach to Facebook.

The Entreprenuer.com article will sound familiar to those who have really read How to Win Friends and Influence People, however, this article is based on analytic data, most of which was complied by folks at Facebook to analyze that site's business marketing opportunities. (Ad revenue makes the world go 'round, you know.)

The lesson in a nutshell? The words you choose matter, so choose carefully - and think before you share.
(Want to share this on Facebook? Click here - and thanks!)

Online Copywriting

I have great faith in words. When used properly, they communicate.

When I hear phrases like "writing for the web" and "online copywriting" I cringe, or roll my eyes, or both. (My anti-wrinkle cream really doesn't stand a chance.)

OK, disclaimer now delivered, today I'm pointing to an article I deem worth reading - even worth printing, but only if you promise to consult it once in a while. Deal? Ok.

Read this: The A-to-Z of online copywriting by Chris Lake.

As is true of almost every piece of formulaic writing, the content is stretched a bit thin here and there in order to suit the formula.

When Lake tells readers "Q is for Quality," I wholeheartedly agree. Attracting quality visitors to your website is crucial; attracting visitors for the sake of visitors only lowers your conversion rate, eg, the percentage of visitors who do what you want them to do (buy/donate/sign up/add a link).

But Lake's "R is for Repetition" needs some serious tempering. Repetition is a very dicey - and largely personal - thing. Too much makes me suspicious, and I'll go elsewhere. I agree with Lake's advice to "ram your message home" but I think if you get your message across the first time (or two) you risk losing sales/visitors when you repeat ad nauseam. I'd substitute "R is for Reach," meaning your writing needs to reach out and touch/grab/wake up your reader. Connect with your readers, and you'll keep 'em.

Quibbles aside, Lake's article is packed with good advice, almost all of which (I feel compelled to mention) applies to all writing, anytime, anywhere. Even writing on the web. There. I'm repeating myself. Got the message?