Say it Like You Mean it, Please

June 7th, 2010

After a very annoying incident with a favourite pair of shoes this weekend, I made a mercy dash to the repairers in the mall to restore them to their former glory. Against my better judgment, I left my husband temporarily unattended in a men’s clothing store, buying shorts that looked identical in every way to the ones he’d been wearing the day before.

(Apparently some men think it’s extremely important to replicate their wardrobe year after year, matching colour, shape and fabric to ensure an exact clone of the look they’ve been attentively cultivating for the past decade or so. In a frenzy of excitement, my husband’s even been known to buy two pairs of identical shoes, hiding the understudies until they’re allowed to replace the ones we’re already tired of seeing summer after summer).

But back to my shoes! I arrived at the shoe repair place, only to find that it’s shut on Sundays. The tiny note on the door said, “We’re closed on Sundays. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Well, sorry, but I don’t believe you. And please don’t pretend to be sorry when you’re not.  It’s a very empty phrase that sounds remarkably insincere. On what might be the busiest retail day of the week, your kiosk and a nearby jeweler are the only businesses in the mall that are closed. You’ve made a calculated decision to go against the grain and leave the place in darkness, knowing that it’s likely to inconvenience more than a handful of people. You’ve not just popped out for 15 minutes, in which case an apology for your temporary absence would be more fitting.

I searched in vain for another sign that would tell me what time you open on Mondays, but it doesn’t seem you’re willing to give up that information without a fight. Had it not occurred to you that your customers would benefit from knowing your opening times? It only takes a moment to put yourself in our shoes, to work out what we need to know and how you need to say it.

Amanda O’Donovan is a big fan of common-sense communication. You can contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in Plain English | No Comments »

A Useful and Generous Contribution

May 12th, 2010

I have Seth Godin to thank for the wonderful snippet of insight below. Not that he’s aware of my gratitude. But, as one of his millions of blog followers, I appreciate his crisp, revelatory emails that land every morning in my inbox. This one is after my own heart.

Instead of paraphrasing, here it is, word for word.

“Sentences, Paragraphs and Chapters

It’s laughably easy to find someone to critique a sentence, to find a missing apostrophe or worry about your noun-verb agreement.

Sometimes, you’re lucky enough to find someone who can tell you that a paragraph is dull, or out of place.

But finding people to rearrange the chapters, to criticize the very arc of what you’re building, to give you substantive feedback on your strategy–that’s insanely valuable and rare.

Perhaps one criticism in a hundred is actually a useful and generous contribution in your quest to reorganize things for the better.

[And for those in need of subtitles, this isn't a post about your next novel. It's about your business, your career and your life.]

Four people tell you that there was a typo on the third slide in your presentation. A generous and useful editor (hard to call them a consultant), though, points out that you shouldn’t be doing presentations at all, and your time would be better spent meeting in small groups with your best clients.”

Here’s where to go for more Seth.

Take a look at what Amanda O’Donovan’s clients say about her useful and  generous contributions. For more of the same, you can contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in Innovation | No Comments »

Where to Put Your Apostrophes

March 31st, 2010

I’m always amazed (and amused) to see grown men reduced to a quivering heap at the mere mention of an apostrophe. In a blind panic, they randomly throw these little airborne commas at the page, hoping that some will land where they’re supposed to. I have also come across a few female culprits, but my not-so-scientific survey exposes you boys as the most egregious offenders.

So, with the purest of motives, gentlemen, I’d like to show you where to stick your apostrophes:

Apostrophes Don’t Like Plurals

If the word is plural, leave it alone. No need for this particular kind of punctuation. Butchers, bakers and candlestickmakers are apostrophe-free. So is a litter of kittens, a pack of dogs, a bunch of carrots and a bowl of peas.

Apostrophes are Posssessive

One of an apostrophe’s main jobs is to indicate possession. It carves out a sense of belonging or ownership. Amanda’s blog entry, John’s email, the organization’s goals, the dog’s bollocks (sorry, couldn’t resist that endearing English phrase, which is a less polite form of the bee’s knees or the cat’s pajamas). In each of these examples, we’re referring to a single person, entity, animal or insect owning something, so the apostrophe goes before the “s.”

Watch where you put your apostrophe if the word is possessive and plural. When you’re talking about something that belongs to more than one person, place or thing, your apostrophe is the finishing touch. The butchers’ sausages were giant sizzlers (more than one butcher), the dogs’ owners began to look like them (several dogs), the O’Donovans’ cooking obsession is legendary (everyone in the family is a foodie). Watch out for common mistakes and exceptions like this:

Our customer’s needs (do you only have one customer?)

Women’s networking groups (women is already a plural word before you add  the “s”)

James’ skype chat (his name ends in “s,” so the apostrophe comes last…or you could do this: James’s skype chat — just be consistent)

At the risk of causing confusion, although they are possessive, pronouns like yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs don’t require apostrophes (annoying, isn’t it?).

Apostrophes Replace What’s Missing

Apostrophes jump in when you leave something out. So, along with possession, they also indicate omission. Add them when you make a word shorter:

You are > You’re invited to join us for lunch (don’t confuse this with “your,” as in your baby, your proposal)

It is/it has > It’s time to start losing weight/it’s been good knowing you (don’t confuse with “its”: our company is known for its progressive culture)

Cannot > I can’t believe you don’t know where the apostrophe goes

Do not > Don’t worry, be happy 

Who is>  Who’s going to make me a coffee? (don’t mistake this for whose: the person whose coffee I just made)

Of course, there are some more rules, as well as exceptions, but I fear I’d lose you if we ventured into that territory, so let’s ignore them for now. Master the plurals, possessives and omissions, and you’ll already be a step ahead of your peers.

 Amanda O’Donovan positions her apostrophes with great care. If you need help with yours, contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in How To's | No Comments »

Articles, Schmarticles. What About Charticles and Listicles?

March 18th, 2010

When was the last time you read to the end of an article? Let’s be honest, some of us can’t even spare the seconds to read a whole blog posting or watch an entire YouTube video. Seth Godin describes this attention deficit as driveby culture. We’re all so busy searching for an experience, that we forget to actually get out of the car and savour the moment.  These days, large swathes of uninterrupted print seem to be the domain of the intellectually replete. The rest of us must content ourselves with scraps of information known as Charticles and Listicles.

A Charticle is all about the graphics. It’s the appealing images, charts or illustrations that attract your attention in the first place. The accompanying text simply rounds out what you’ve already understood from the pictures. Unlike a classic article, which uses graphics for added visual appeal, or to communicate more information (usually through a graph), the ratio of text to images is inverted in a charticle. Like the graphic novel, the charticle presents a contemporary image and a fresh take on the information it contains.

In the context of B2B communication, a charticle can be a great way to introduce new subject matter. You might drop it into a Newsletter, for example, and it could be the start of a breadcrumb trail to more detailed information, such as Case Studies and Whitepapers, which you introduce once the reader becomes hungry for more knowledge.

A Listicle starts life as a series of bullet points. The author then fleshes it out with a few paragraphs of additional content, so that it qualifies as a mini-article. Listicles are quick to produce, and often contain recycled information presented with a fresh slant. It’s hard to put off writing them. Better a published Listicle than a heavyweight article that’s still just an idea at the back of your mind. These diminutive articles can be a great way to present the key messages that persuade your prospects why you are best equipped to solve their problems.

Listcles can be, 1. Ranked — Top Ten, Seven Most, Six Best — 2. Themed — A grouped listing determined by the author — 3. Random — An unstructured list that leaves the reader to draw conclusions:

1.       The Top Ten Most Annoying Things About Listicles

2.       Ten Shocking Truths About Listicles

3.       Ten Random Thoughts About Listicles

Just like Charticles, Listicles can be great attention-grabbers. Beware of dismissing either of these lightweight articles for their lack of depth. Used effectively,  they’re anything but shallow, because not only will they drive your potential customers to more substantial educational content, but they can also be a quick way of demonstrating how you can solve their problems — which, after all, is the very reason you’re in business.

Amanda O’Donovan writes light content for newsletter articles, charticles and listicles, as well as more meaty copy for case studies, whitepapers and entire websites. You can contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in Innovation | 1 Comment »

Tell Me The 5 Business Buzzwords You Hate Most

February 18th, 2010

I’ve been following a discussion on LinkedIn’s BtoB Marketing Group about the Business Buzzwords you love to hate. It’s an animated thread, and I’ve had a lot of fun finding out about the words people would like to ban from our business vocabulary. Personally, I’m tired of hearing about buckets and silos, low hanging fruit and industry-leading, end-to-end solutions. But that’s enough about me. Here are 10 irritating words or phrases that cause some of the other BtoB group members to rant:

1.       Moving Forward

2.       Transparency

3.       Next-Generation

4.       Best-in-Class

5.       Benchmark

6.       Value-Add

7.       Visibility

8.       Long Tail

9.       Win-Win

10.     Facetime

 

Now it’s your turn. Tell me about your five most hated buzzwords. You may be guilty of using them yourself, or ready to strangle a colleague who can’t stop spouting them…

Amanda O’Donovan creates best-in-class, industry-leading end-to-end solutions to increase the visibility of her clients. Moving forward, you can arrange some facetime by contacting her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in Plain English | No Comments »

Make Friends with Your Keywords

January 31st, 2010

Emily Thompson is the online marketing coordinator for Kutenda Online Marketing Software. She talks about content as the heart of all your online marketing efforts, not only because it engages readers but also because it shows the search engines you have something of value. She emphasizes the importance of keeping your SEO goals in mind when creating content, and advises planning your writing around the keywords your prospects will use to search for you. Here are her three top tips for cozying up to your keywords:

Use a Keyword Tool

Too often, companies base their keywords around internal jargon, and forget to find out what search terms their customers are actually using. Google’s keyword tool is a good place to start if you want to find the keywords that will drive traffic to your door. It’s designed for paid search (AdWords), but it’s also great for finding keyword variations you might not think up on your own.

Start Knitting Keywords into Your Content

For on-page web content, Emily recommends you use three variations of your core keyword, about six to eight times per page.

Keep Your Keywords Consitent

Use keywords consistently in your content: on the page, in a white paper, case study or testimonial and throughout your printed materials.

Take a look at Emily’s full guest posting on the Junta42 Content Marketing blog.

Amanda O’Donovan creates optimized web content for her keyword-hungry clients. You can contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in Lead Generation | No Comments »

Seth Godin Knows Your Attitude by Your Accent

November 24th, 2009

Seth’s nugget of the day dropped into my inbox a short while back, and I felt the irresistible urge to reblog. The posting speaks for itself, and serves as a cautionary tale that accent isn’t all about the spoken word. To find out if your writing has an accent, read Seth Godin’s blog.

Amanda O’Donovan is a Toronto-based freelance writer with an unmistakeable British accent. Talk to her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

How to Squeeze Every Drop of Juice From Your Content

October 30th, 2009

Stephanie Tilton is a member of the blogging team at Savvy B2B Marketing. Earlier this week, I followed the breadcrumbs from one of my LinkedIn groups to her blog post, How to Squeeze the Most Life From Your Content. In it, Stephanie tells us about an Executive Benchmark Survey of B2B marketers conducted by Bulldog Solutions and Frost & Sullivan, which discovered that, “Nearly half of marketers don’t think (or aren’t sure) they have enough content to fill their marketing needs.”

What really caught my attention was a suggestion from Frost & Sullivan’s Director of Global Marketing, “In addition to mapping content to the buying process and buyer personas, you need to understand how long your assets can reasonably deliver value.” According to Stephanie, he divides the general buying process into the following three stages:

  • Gain Permission
  • Overcome Objections
  • Support Decisions

 When it comes to lead generation and conversion — which is, after all, the purpose of your content — it turns out that not all information has the same shelf life. At the point you’re attracting prospects, plentiful, frequently refreshed content is critical. When you reach the second stage of the buying cycle — educating prospects to overcome objections — it seems that you can expect content to have a life of approximately 6-10 months. And this is when you’ll be concentrating on producing whitepapers, web content, thought leadership articles etc. The final stage — when your content serves as a call-to-action to convert opportunities — you should concentrate your focus on content like case studies, testimonials and references. According to the article, these content assets can last for years — but you should always update them to reflect changing industry trends.

There’s more great information in Stephanie’s article. Make the time to follow the link and learn how to give your content the squeeze. 

Amanda O’Donovan is a Toronto-based freelance content creator who helps B2B clients get the most from their marketing materials. Talk to her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com. 

Posted in Lead Generation | 1 Comment »

Blog Link to Web Ink

October 6th, 2009

Do you keep your valuable content behind gates, or make it free for all to see? The debate continues about whether registration should be required in exchange for content such as ebooks, whitepapers or research reports. Some say that gated downloads produce valuable sales leads. Others argue in favour of making content freely available in order to raise your profile through the viral spread that follows. Take a look at a recent post by David Meerman Scott, who advocates saying no to squeezing your buyers.

Amanda O’Donovan is a Toronto-based freelance copywriter who creates valuable content for a wide range of B2B clients. You can contact her freely at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com

Posted in Post-Click Marketing Tools | 1 Comment »

Procrastination is the Thief of Content

September 29th, 2009

My last blog post was August 10, which may be a hint that I’m an expert on the subject of procrastination! I promised myself that I’d write this entry before I travelled to Europe for ten days earlier this month. When I returned, I was too busy with paid work to give it a second thought…but, again, I promised myself that I’d get blogging by Friday. When I failed to achieve that, I was convinced I would come up with a fantastic topic before the weekend was over.

Needless to say, when Monday morning dawned, I awoke blogless. “No worries,” I said to myself, “My latest project is out for client review, and I don’t have anything else booked in today.” By mid afternoon, (oops! make that late afternoon) I’d still managed to do everything but blog. What’s my problem? If I’d been working on a client deadline, I would have researched, written, reviewed and delivered the job ahead of schedule. Why is it that when it comes to dealing with what’s closest to us, we find every excuse to divert and delay?

Most of the time, it’s because we think we’re too busy to blog regularly, refresh an outdated website, create a whitepaper, interview for a case study or create a needs assessment. We believe that there are other needs that should take priority. The day-to-day imperatives involved in running a business and responding quickly and effectively to client needs outweigh the necessity to create new materials.

However, in a marketing environment that is increasingly driven by content, procrastination is a risky habit. Because other people are going to get there faster…and, if their collateral or their websites are more attractive, engaging and informative to a prospect, you will have missed the opportunity to make that vital connection. You will have failed to establish (and nurture) a relationship that progressively educates people about the value of what you do, and eventually leads to a sale. 

When you finally get round to writing the content you so badly need, it will already be out of date.

So, with recession officially behind us, let’s all make a credible, achievable to-do list, and rank effective, regularly refreshed communication as a priority. Without it, however much you have to offer your clients, however brilliant your technology, however outstanding your customer service, only your closest friends will know!

Amanda O’Donovan helps her clients create current, relevant content. For timely intervention, contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com.

Posted in Post-Click Marketing Tools | No Comments »

« Older Entries