A headline is the first impression on a prospective customer, and sometimes, a headline is the only impression. The fact is there is a lot riding on writing the perfect headline to grab attention, communicate a full message, and bait the reader into staying. To add even more pressure, the best headlines range from 8 to 14 words.

So what are the best ways to write a compelling headline? Here is a list of six different headline categories that encourage readers to stay longer than eight seconds.

• Reason Why Headline. Most readers like to skim an article, post, or landing page. With a ‘reason why’ technique, most people expect bulleted lists for product features or tips. An example is 3 Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques.

• Direct Headline. This type of headline may not be clever but it showcases the benefit upfront. A direct headline is simple and succinct and the reader knows exactly what they are in for, such as Free Guide to Social Media Marketing.

• Indirect Headline. Opposite of a direct headline, an indirect headline is more subtle and sparks curiosity. Using a double meaning in an indirect headline is usually creative and catchy. Consider the title Kill a Killer, and although the post has nothing to do with any actual crime, the post is about conversion killers in your content.

• Question Headline. A lot of the time readers are searching for a solution. A question headline lures people in who expect the post or landing page to provide an answer. A word to the wise, the question in the headline has to be more than just that, it has to connect with the reader. A decent question headline might be Is Your Toothpaste Strong Enough?

• Testimonial Headline. Testimonials offer proof to prospective customers that what you have to give is of value. “These Headline Techniques Revolutionize Marketing,” said Mark Zuckerberg. Using actual feedback in a headline can give your post immediate and needed credibility.

• How to Headline. A simple how to headline works wonders. This type of headline also offers a benefit upfront like a direct headline. An example would be the title of this post.

By no means is this an extensive list of headline formulas. However, these six techniques have proven effective time and time again. Evaluate the purpose of your post, landing page, or other content marketing needs and craft a sure-fire headline that works to your advantage. The better the headline, the better your odds at conversion.  

1. Have a process. Having a set process can not only help you fix project issues, but avoid them altogether. By mapping out your due date and the steps you need to take to get the project done in time, you can ensure that the project keeps moving along, and give yourself enough time to work out any kinks. Processes also help when you’re managing multiple clients. Even if they are in different verticals, you will still have to complete some of the same to-do’s to get to the final version, and repetition leads to perfection.
    

2. Use a different strategy. If you’ve already tried sticking to the process but you’re still running into issues, try to look at different ways you can overcome the obstacle. Lay all your options on the table and evaluate which strategy would be the best to try for the best results. A new strategy needs to be carefully evaluated, executed, and monitored to ensure that you don’t create further problems with the project. If the new strategy winds up being a success, make sure you report on it so you can use that method in the future.
    

3. Pool brainpower for ideas. Sometimes the best ideas can come from other people. Be willing to admit defeat and show the problem to other coworkers, even if they’re not fully involved with the project. Sometimes a third party is the best person to ask because they have a bigger view of the entire situation and can potentially spot the real issue, as well as the solution, easier than you may be able to identify it.
    

4. Take a break. This sounds like the complete opposite of what you should do when you have an issue. Most people have a misconception that you should sit with the issue and not leave your desk until you’ve figured it out. However, studies have shown this approach can actually hamper your ability to see the issue and the successful path around it. By taking a quick break you’re giving your mind a rest from the project so you can have better success at solving the issue when you return.
    
   
5. Talk to the client. It may sound unprofessional to talk to the client about an issue because you’re the expert, however, most clients appreciate being in the loop when their hard earned money is concerned. By informing the client of the progress of the project and any issue you encounter (that you can’t fix on your own), you are keeping an trustworthy and open line of communication. In the end, this could be the difference between a happy client and a client who quits. This could also be a good time to talk candidly to the client about the project.

   If you talk to the client, brainstorm together and see if you can find a way to fix the issue. It’s good to keep the client in the know of any changes you want to make to the original proposition. Maybe the issue has no solution and it’s time to take a slightly different route with the project. It’s okay if you can’t always do something exactly to specifications. Sometimes a modified project turns out better than the original would have!

In the end, there are hundreds of ways to solve projects and I suggested only a few potential problem solvers. Everyone will have their own way of doing so, so feel free to experiment and see what helps your brainpower and ability to overcome obstacles. What is my personal problem solving strategy? I take a nap and Google cat pictures. It totally works.

Public relations professionals are often on the go and looking for new ways to manage their time. There are thousands of smartphone apps designed to make working and life in general easier. Here are seven recommendations that can help both communicators and other business professionals who are on the go.

1. Flipboard – Free

Ever wish all of your favorite social networks and websites could be viewed in one place? With Flipboard they can. Flipboard combines everything you enjoy reading and puts it into a magazine format for easy reading. This is perfect for public relation pros that need to keep up with both social media and the latest news. Flipboard is able to help you keep your eye on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Instagram, Flikr and more.

2. HootSuite – Free

Social media has become a major part of most public relations campaigns today. HootSuite provides an app that can help you manage all of your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare accounts in one simple location. It allows you to send or schedule updates in advance, along with helping keep track of the latest stats and important keywords being used.

3. InstaPaper — Free

See an article you would like to read, but don’t have time for it at the moment? InstaPaper is a simple solution to help fix this problem. By simply hitting save in your web browser, you can view the reading material later and in an offline environment. You can even use the app to look at articles your friends have posted to Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr.

4. Dropbox – Free

Forget a file that you need to work on? Dropbox is a great solution for storing all your documents, photos and videos. Once Dropbox is installed on your computer you can simply “drop” the files you need into the program for later access. Dropbox also makes it easy to share files with others.

5. Evernote – Free

Evernote is a great resource for gathering content beyond your desk. It helps you keep track of notes, voice memos, snapshots, ideas and more and then lets you sync them with your computer. It’s perfect for helping organize things that need to be reviewed later.

6. Keynote – $9.99

All of Apple’s iWorks programs are available in app form. Keynote is particularly helpful if you are putting together a lot of presentations. The app is very intuitive and makes it easy to design an attractive presentation even when you are away from your desk.

7. AP Stylebook 2011 – $24.99

No public relations arsenal would be complete without an AP Stylebook. Now it’s available in app form for any questions you might run into on journalistic style. It offers easy search function, the ability to create your own custom entries, note taking and bookmarking features.

What are your favorite apps?

The truth of the matter is that I am a task-oriented person. Nothing is more fulfilling to me than 1) getting things done, and 2) having few to no loose ends hanging over my head. But it’s also true that doing all these things takes its toll on other areas of my life, like rest, recreation, and relationships. I sometimes feel absolutely starved for a little recreation, more time to be creative, and more time to spend with family and friends. Believe me: “doing it all” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, nor is “having it all” worth the sacrifices it demands. They may look good in the showroom window, but the prices they demand are definitely not affordable to any of us in the long run.

Why on earth do some of us sign up for these lifelong, massive marathons? Why is it sometimes so hard to parcel out or delegate to others at home or at work? Even if this is not a major problem for you, see if you can identify with at least a few of these little gems:

We can’t say “no,” even when our time is already stretched to the max.

If we do, we may fear the boss will think us incompetent, or a co-worker will think we’re not a team player, or a family member will not feel loved or supported.

We don’t like asking others for help.

It may be embarrassing to take off the super-hero costume and admit that we can’t do everything, or to allow others to see our “dirt.” We may also not like to bother others or add to their burdens. Or, we may fear that asking for help may make us feel or look incompetent.

We must be seen as a hard worker, or as the person who works harder than everyone else.

Work for the sake of work alone is pointless if it doesn’t produce the intended results. We once had an employee that proclaimed more than once that they worked harder and longer hours than anyone else in the office. It didn’t seem to matter to them that they were not producing the results they were hired to achieve. But it did matter to their boss, and they were fired in spite of those long hours. It’s far too easy to lie to ourselves and put a higher value on the quantity of time spent than on the quality of our results. It’s also counter-productive to wear ourselves out today on that which is less important, to the point of diminishing personal resources needed for the important tasks of tomorrow.

Doing it all ourselves will save money.

I must admit that this has always been a major hurdle for me. When our budget has been tight, I’ve told myself that we can’t afford it. When we could afford it, well, that didn’t seem to matter either. I’d usually rather buy a tool that I thought would help me do it myself faster or better than pay someone else to do it. The problem with this is that with everything else I usually have on my plate, the task would continue to hang over me and remain undone for sometimes weeks longer than it needed to, often adding unnecessary stress to my life, and impacting results. At PRMarketing.com, we see businesses who try do-it-yourself online PR to no avail–outsourcing help can be a great thing.

If we work just a little harder, longer or later we can somehow fit it in.

This is one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves, and I should know – I’m a world-class expert at looking to bite off more than I can chew. It may have the biggest impact upon me than any of these fibs, because I hate to go to bed at night if there is still something important on my “to do” list that will “just take a few more minutes.” The problem is, those minutes add up – and then subtract from the rest I need to be my best the following day. The same story applies to those things we feel we need to do before leaving the office, except in that case we are sacrificing time with our families as well as personal rejuvenation.

No one else can do it as well as we can, or the way we’d like it done.

This one is for all of us perfectionists out there. We tell ourselves that it’s easier to just do it ourselves than to teach or train someone else, or to monitor and then clean up after the person who will probably do it beneath our standards. This flawed thinking keeps us in the work rut, enables others to be slackers, and robs others of learning opportunities that can enrich and grow our organizations.

The very bottom line is that all of this flawed thinking is exhausting, depleting, and discouraging. Left unchecked, these lies we tell ourselves can snatch away the very success we are seeking in our careers, homes, and relationships.

Your thoughts?

1. Write, write, write (and then write some more).

Public relations is a very writing intensive job. Despite what movies and TV shows portray, PR is a lot more than just talking to a bunch of reporters with microphones shoved in your face (which hardly ever happens).  No, the majority of PR is writing.  Whether you’re writing a press release or writing an email to pitch a journalist, you need to know how to write, and you need to know how to write well.

Start writing in a journal or blog as soon as you decide you want to work in PR.  Write short stories, write about your day, write letters—just write. The more you practice, the more polished your writing will get.  Bonus points if you write blog posts about your life events in press release form.

Don’t know what to write about? Check out this blog post with tips to beat writer’s block.

2. Be social media active.

The PR industry is becoming more and more social. After all, public relations is all about establishing and maintaining relationships with the public, and the public is on social media. In fact, some companies won’t even hire you if you don’t have an active Facebook, Twitter, and blog. Every business has its own social media marketing strategy, and you should develop a personal one to market yourself to employers.  It’s also a good idea to follow people in the PR industry as well, they are always offering great tips and it’s an excellent opportunity to network.

3. Read the newspaper and follow PR industry blogs.

Read the newspaper to get a feel for the journalistic writing style. Pay attention to how the article is structured and how specific words are written. For example, journalists follow AP style, and AP style dictates that you always spell out the word “percent” and numbers under 10. Press releases are written in AP style, so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it.

It’s also a good idea to read PR industry blogs.  These blogs offer great tips and analyze current events from a PR standpoint.  One of my personal favorite blogs to read is PR Daily.

4. Seek criticism.

Every time you have a paper due in a class, ask the professor if you can submit a draft to them to read over and make suggestions for improvement.  Most professors are more than willing to do this, and it only strengthens your writing. If you know somebody in the PR industry, ask them for criticism. If you don’t know a PR professional, find one through a friend, family member or on the Internet. It’s also not a bad idea to ask friends and family to critique articles you’ve written. The more eyes you get in front of your writing, the better.

5. Do as many internships as you can.

Professors will always tell you to do at least one internship, but I think you should do as many as you can.  I would say do at least three, even if you don’t earn credit for all of them. Never turn down an opportunity to work with professionals and gain experience, because you never know who you’re going to meet or what the opportunity will turn into.  It’s also a good idea to seek opportunities to practice your PR skills in your paying job. Your hard work will pay off in the end.

6. Get a job in retail customer service and sales.

We all have to do grunt work in college to earn money for tuition, food, and weekend fun. My suggestion would be to work in retail sales or customer service. You might think I’m crazy, but just hear me out.

Retail customer service tends to have a lot of irate customers, and it’s your job to calm them down. You learn how to speak in a delicate manner, which is perfect for crisis management in public relations.

Retail sales will teach you how to sell, which comes in handy when you have to pitch a journalist.  Think about it. Instead of selling a product, you’re selling a story. They both use the same skills, and once you get the hang of selling a product, selling a free story will be a breeze.

7. Bone up on your SEO.

While search engine optimization may not be your cup of tea, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of it. SEO teams and public relations teams work hand in hand, and press releases are part of the SEO strategy. While Google’s Panda update may not make you jump for joy or punch a wall, you need to understand why your SEO counterparts are acting strange and where your role as a PR specialist plays in their strategy.

8. Minor in business.

Many public relations programs encourage students to declare a minor in order to meet the university minimum credit requirement. It also helps round out your degree. I strongly encourage students wanting to study public relations to minor in business. The lines between public relations and marketing are blurring every day, and having some general marketing knowledge under your belt can take you a long way. Getting a minor in business also introduces you to the world of finance and accounting, which can be useful when writing finance-based press releases and communicating with those on the financial side of the business.

Why should you take these tips into consideration?  So you can get a job when you graduate!  After all, that’s why you’re going to college, right?  The current job market is tough, so the more you can do to set yourself apart from the other candidates, the better.  These are just the things I have learned during my journey into the PR world, does anybody else have any tips?

However, one thing I can’t avoid is helping people with the basics such as search engine optimization on your site that you should or shouldn’t have. One thing I certainly can help with is blogs, including how to optimize and manage them in a way that the search engines and users will find most useful.

1. Have the blog hosted on your site. I cannot stress this enough. I see far too many clients with a blog hosted on an entirely different domain. While this builds credibility, authority, and link weight solely to that domain, it does nothing for your main domain. This means you now have two sites to optimize and only one is getting fresh content regularly.

 

2. Use proper navigation. Don’t have your blog hidden or make it hard to find. If you’re going to create a blog and update it, you want people to be able to easily find the blog from your homepage. A simple www.site.com/blog navigation will do.

 

3. Structure your URL the right way. Make sure you structure your URL’s in a way that both the user and the search engines can decipher what the post is about before they even read it. Navigation such as “www.site.com/?p=2342.html” is bad.  If you’re using WordPress, here is an easy way to switch over to proper navigation: Go to Settings > Permalinks, and choose either “day and name”, “month and name” or “post name.” Avoid “default” and “numeric” because those URL structure won’t give you any SEO value.

 

4. Optimize your post title. You want to make sure you have a keyword or two in the title for SEO value, but make sure it is natural to read. For example, my keywords for this post were “user friendly SEO optimization” and “blog.” Because I want anyone searching for tips on SEO and blogging to land on my post, I know they’ll probably put “how to” as the search phrase and so I included that phrase in my title as well. Other popular catch phrases include “tips,” “tactics,” and anything with numbers like “5 Awesome Blogging Ideas.”

 

5. Include keywords throughout your post. Having relevant keywords sprinkled throughout your post helps reiterate what your post is about when a search engine spider comes to crawl and index the page. Again, this post can used be an example because in the first paragraph I talk about SEO, search engine optimization, and blogging–just like in the title.

 

6. Use rich media. A picture or video helps engage the reader and gives them a visual to remember the post. It can also clue them in on what you’re talking about or give them more information. When you use rich media, be sure to include a sentence or two describing it if necessary (as search engine spiders can’t spider videos) and use image-alt tags on all images.

 

7. Categorize your posts. Categorizing helps users find related posts to a topic they’re interested in and it creates a tag cloud that search engine spiders can follow, which helps them index deeper into your website.

 


8. Create an RSS feed. With an RSS feed your most dedicated followers immediately are updated when you have a new post. Here’s an interesting blog post about adding social media buttons into your RSS feed so readers can instantly share.

 

9. Add social buttons. AddThis.com has really easy to use social buttons. I would suggest implementing these on every blog post on your website so users can easily share a post they find interesting. It also help you track the outreach of your post.

 

10. Create a blogging schedule. It doesn’t matter if you blog daily or just once a month, as long as you do it regularly. Let your users know when new posts can be expected so you don’t lose readership. The more regularly you can blog, the better. No matter what, make sure you are creating fresh, original content with each post. Nothing is worse than a duplicate content penalty.

 

These are just 10 tips to help you optimize your blog for SEO. What it really boils down to is thinking of the user first and how to appease Google! As long as you are being original and your posts are easy to find and navigate, you’re on your way to having a stellar blog.

The Back Story

Earlier this week, Google’s Matt Cutts announced that they are going live with an over-optimization algorithm update. We started seeing the first impacts of this update on the evening of April 24th. The update focuses on cleaning up webspam and taking action against sites that violate Google’s guidelines.

What Does This Mean?

Depending on your on-page and off-page optimization strategies, your website may have taken a dive. We have heard from a number of our clients that do SEO on their own, as well as those that utilize SEO firms, that their rankings have suffered. We work closely with a few SEO companies that optimize sites and build links the right way, but it is my belief that many SEO firms (especially overseas) use gray and black hat tactics. Eventually, Google notices and these sites are penalized heavily.

So, Now What?

Hire an online PR firm. Now. Seriously. None of our clients with a budget for good, strong, relevant content have seen issues. If you work with a PR company that writes quality articles and works hard to promote those articles on news sites, relevant blogs, and trade magazines, you will receive quality links from pages with high PageRanks (in addition to new customers). These links are relevant, and will build your online authority quickly, landing you at the top of the search engines faster than writing crappy content and spinning it 20 times. Bad SEO firms, bad!

I believe in simplicity. My job as the director of client services requires me to contact multiple clients every single day to help plan PR campaigns and offer the best advice. It also requires that I stay on top of current trends and look into the future of the industry. Often, I need to help find avenues for clients that ensure they get the results they are looking for.

When looking for a public relations agency people tend to seek out a firm for fulfillment. Some people have a project that they need done in a specified amount of time and they happen to have a limited budget. The problem is the part of PR that often gets overlooked is the strategy. A strategy is crucial, it is long term, and most importantly it is hard work. Sure, there are companies like Pinterest that have managed to experience what appears to be an overnight success, but it actually took two years before the site really caught on. Not to mention they started with a four million dollar budget.

If your company had $4 million to start, it would be fantastic and you could afford to have a really great PR campaign and put $30,000 a month towards it. It is more likely that you have approximately $3,000-$5,000 to put towards your campaign.

This is how you manage a PR campaign on a budget:

1. Establish a clear goal that you are trying to accomplish
2. Set a long term plan of what you are going to do and when
3. Target a few different mediums while making sure that each gets sufficient time to build up
4. Have patience with each medium and don’t give up too quickly

You should always try to utilize multiple mediums, but you need to be patient and allow each medium time to create interest in your brand. If a blog post does not get picked up the first month that does not mean that people think you are uninteresting, it could easily mean that they haven’t heard of you yet. After you have a couple press releases, created some killer videos or infographics and your name gets out there, they may pick you up because they have heard of you and their readers are interested.

One thing to remember is that bloggers and other publications, either online or in print, are trying to give their readers things that they are interested in. If you are just starting your PR campaign, the chances are people haven’t heard of you very much and so it will take a while before their readers are wanting to hear stuff about you. Be patient and do things that are interesting to people.

If you are unsure of what to do for your campaign, relax, that is why you are hiring an agency. Talk with them, tell them your goals and let them create a strategy that caters to your needs. Remember that what they are doing should all be centered on your one goal. PR is one very successful avenue that will help you increase your revenue.

Brand irrelevancy is one thing both small and large companies  fear. I recently came across this useful blog post outlining the “10 Signs That Your Branding Needs A Facelift.” While some of these signs don’t apply to every business, asking yourself these questions while reviewing your brand development strategy can save you from ending up in an uncomfortable situation like Best Buy.

Am I Attracting the Wrong Customers?

If you find that the majority of your customers are asking for discounts, buying only a small portion of your products or making one purchase never to return again, you might be attracting the wrong customers.  At this point you have two choices:  Either refocus your marketing efforts to attract your ideal customer or restructure your business to cater to your current customers.

Best Buy was attracting the wrong customers because nobody was buying from them.  Consumers go into Best Buy to test-drive a product, and then purchase it online.  This led financial analysts to dub them as “Amazon’s showroom.” Best Buy positioned themselves as an authority on all things electronic, hoping consumers would be willing to pay a higher price for their knowledge.  While they succeeded in earning the authoritative reputation, they misjudged who their current customers were: tech-savvy Internet shoppers.

Do My Customers Understand My Brand?

This question goes hand in hand with the previous one, and could be the reason you’re attracting the wrong customers. Your branding should tell your customers who you are, what you do, and why you are better than your competitors.

One Best Buy brand that is misunderstood is Napster. Napster started out as a peer-to-peer music sharing service, and was ultimately shut down due to copyright infringement.  As you can imagine, there was a lot of negative publicity around the Napster name.  Best Buy purchased the Napster brand and logo in 2008 and turned it into a legal online music store.  However, because of the negative publicity and Best Buy’s lack of effort to rebrand the name, many people still believe the music service is illegal.

Am I Keeping Up With My Customers?

Technology changes and you have to keep up with it in order to keep up with your customers.  If the only way for your customers to find you is in the phone book, then that’s a problem.  You constantly need to be conducting research, or at the very least reading it, to keep up with what your customers want.  Don’t be afraid to experiment free marketing tools either.  There is very little risk to adding Pinterest or Google+ to your social media marketing strategy.

Best Buy has struggled to keep up with constant changing of technology.  Ever since iTunes and Netflix came out, CDs and DVDs have slowly been dying out, and yet they take up 50 percent of Best Buy’s store layout. Best Buy attempted to get into the digital game by purchasing Napster and CinemaNow, a movie streaming service, but they were too late.

Are My Employees and I Proud of The Brand?

You should always take pride in your work, and your employees should be proud to say where they work because it’s a reflection of your brand’s culture. If you aren’t proud of your brand, figure out why. Are you not exhibiting your best work? Do you come off as cliché or corny? Are your key employees leaving? Once you figure out what’s holding you back from being proud of your brand, fix it.

Just over a month ago, Geek Squad founder and Best Buy’s Chief Technology Officer Robert Stephens resigned.  In Stephen’s personal blog, he cited his decision to leave was to “pursue new opportunities.” However, according to Flora Delaney, retail consultant and former Best Buy executive, Stephens decision to leave was because he “grew disillusioned” with the company brand and culture.

Am I Unique?

One sign that you may need to re-invent your brand is if your logo appears to be outdated or starts to look similar to other companies. Companies like Google, Apple, Wal-Mart and Pepsi have revamped their logo roughly every 10 to 20 years. Times change and so do design preferences. It can’t hurt to explore a new logo, and it could just be the breath of fresh air your brand needs.

Best Buy is currently in the process of updating their logo, and it’s about time. The iconic yellow tag has been the logo for 23 years now, and seems a little outdated (in my opinion) compared to other brands. I’ve also noticed that Best Buy’s signature typeface and colors are eerily similar to Ikea’s.

I don’t know whether Best Buy will be around five years from now, but the company is definitely in a delicate situation.  I suspect that if they are still around, the company will look very different than it does today, as it should.  They have some major re-branding to do, and bringing in a new CEO is the perfect opportunity to do it. I’m looking forward to see what the new leader does with the brand.

Do you use Best Buy as an “Amazon’s showroom?” If so, what changes would Best Buy have to make to get you to make a purchase?

With dollars to be saved dancing in their eyes, the unwary marketer-to-be, a.k.a. company president, office manager, IT guy, or tech-savvy office flunky jumps on the do-it-yourself bandwagon and eagerly starts down the road toward what they believe will be an increase in sales. What they too often miss, however, is the road sign indicating they’re off on the kind of detour that is frequently followed by sudden stretches of missing pavement, chuckholes, and unmarked forks in the road.

Let’s get real, some things like amateurish marketing don’t change much over time and most of us can spot them instantly. I was recently struck by this fact as I glanced through some vintage telephone directory ads. Like technology, effective marketing and marketing strategies are in a constant state of warp-speed evolution and change. As Dave Thomas of ThomasArts put it, “When people mess around with their marketing dollars, they don’t understand that they’re playing with their revenue, not an expense.” Here are four key areas where it pays to put your dollars to work with a professional, and why.

1. Marketing Strategy

   One DIY site I visited had a page outlining a simplistic marketing plan. Further down the page was a paid advertisement for toilet paper at Target. In a weird sort of way, I thought that was somewhat appropriate, because it almost instantly created a credibility problem for the article.

   If a company does not have a professional marketing staff on board, it is too easy to miss the fundamentals of finding the demographic, and where and how those individuals can be effectively reached. This is purely a case of “put your money where your potential buyers are.” Guesswork and trial and error are not only ineffective, they are expensive.

   

2. Branding

   Your brand encompasses much more than a company name and logo. It is the sum total perception of your company; it is also the personality that distinguishes your company or product. Effective branding creates credibility and motivates sellers to buy from you, rather than the competition. It can extend beyond a company name, logo and tagline into the elements of shapes, graphics, color, sounds, movement, smells and taste. For example, no other motorcycle sounds quite like a Harley, and no other chicken tastes just like KFC. Meaningful brand development is essential in building successful brands, and can’t be pulled out of a cardboard box (or created from a checklist) any more than it can be pulled out of a top hat.

3. Copywriting

   Okay, maybe you got consistent “A’s” in your college English classes, or harbor a secret dream of someday writing a novel, but the truth is there is a world of difference between being able to write something and being able to write good marketing copy. Crafting a print worthy press release takes training and talent of an entirely different type than it takes to write a proposal. And the more concise the message needs to be, the tougher it is to get it right. It’s far easier to recognize what works than to create it; great word crafting is compelling to consumers.

4. Design

   Desktop publishing software and affordable digital cameras have without question enhanced everyone’s creativity, and even turned a great many of us into amateur photographers. As I have experienced in art classes, it takes a lot more than knowing how to mix and match colors to come up with a piece of art someone wants to buy and own. Good design can be a tricky and complex process involving just the right amount and placement of white space, negative space, color selection and saturation, and above all, style. In addition, the pros can get it done not only better, but in a fraction of the time we novices can. It takes the right tools, technical skills, training and above all, talent to turn out terrific marketing design.

You owe it to yourself, your budget and your bottom line to enlist professional help in at least these four key areas. Your marketing dollars will not only get you further down the road to success, but you’ll also enjoy the ride much more without those noisy and unnecessary backfires.