Zero To Sixty Marketing

Inside Line to More Business

Press Release: Write Often

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A University of Wisconsin study found that daily newspapers discarded 72% of press releases. If your release is guilty of these common flaws, it might be time to learn how to write your wrongs.

6 Things Not To Write

The number one reason for press release fatalities was “limited interest to readers,” followed closely by “no reader interest at all.” According to the study, no real news in the release, poorly written material, and inaccuracies or duplication are no-no’s that keep your information from getting into the right hands, or in front of the right eyes.

On the other hand, there are some things you can do to get your story picked up.

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Marketing Includes Knowing What You Don’t Want

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Timeless Treasures Pt 2

In my last back-to-basics post, I challenged you to carefully define your customer – to market effectively and be COST effective, we need to know exactly who’s attention we’re trying to gain. But there’s far more to it than that. It’s also important that we figure out the markets or projects that aren’t a good fit for us. There’s a lot to be said for learning what you DON’T want.  [Read more…] about Marketing Includes Knowing What You Don’t Want

Timeless Marketing Principles – Part 1

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It’s fun to focus on the new and different, but it’s important not to forget the tried and true. Small businesses have established themselves and grown in the marketplace since the dawn of capitalism, not just since the birth of Facebook. Along the way, what works and what doesn’t work has been studied and written about. Effective marketing has been dissected and diagrammed. It’s true that HOW we get the job done has changed, but the timeless principles relating to market, message and media are still the foundation for success.  [Read more…] about Timeless Marketing Principles – Part 1

Where Do You Stand on That?

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I bet if you were hanging out with your friends or family and a controversial subject came up, whether you voiced it or not – you’d probably have an opinion about it. Conversationally, it’s a plus to be able to debate opinions or discuss facts in a give and take manner. Some folks can’t do that. But if you’re the entrepreneur who generally reads our blogs, you can probably hang with the best.

If you have ideas for business – something not agreeable in the mainstream – instead of sitting there with your opinion safely tucked inside your head in a box labeled, “not politically correct,” I want to encourage you to take action.  Take a risk by doing or saying something out of the norm that can be useful to others. It could be the thing that makes your business stand out.  [Read more…] about Where Do You Stand on That?

Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Read Business Brochures?

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The simple answer is, “No.” Still, you’ll get conflicting opinions when it comes to how you should be reading a barrel roll trifold brochure. Accordion-fold brochures are much easier to figure out, but when faced with two panels at the same time, like the barrel-fold allows, you’re left wondering what the brochure creator’s intention was. The first two panels are a no-brainer, right? Front cover, inside front cover … then what does a reader do? Open the flap to reveal the inside of the brochure to continue reading panels left to right? Or read inside the cover, then the folded flap, then the inside?

OH, brother …     [Read more…] about Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Read Business Brochures?

Are You Paying For Great Content?

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Do you write your own Web site and blog content? Your own articles? If you are paying to have your content written, consider the source.

There’s an old saying that still holds true – you get what you pay for. If you purchase from freelance writing boards and only offer low-ball pay, you may end up with regurgitated content that was previously written for someone else, or student work.

Not that you can’t find good writers on a freelance job board, of course you can. But some writers who are willing to work for less may not believe your project is worth their best effort. If you do hire off of a job board, offer a decent rate of pay for the job to be done. This benefits everyone and gets you closer to the writer who knows what good content is worth and is willing to do a great job if paid fairly. This is a business.

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