If you can write, thank a teacher

I attended a Meetup last Friday entitled “Finding Your Blogging Voice and Leveraging it in Social Media”, presented by Ms. Stephanie Bogus, Director of Content and head writer for Speak Social, an Austin-based social media company. Ms. Bogus is a highly gifted and talented writer with a passion for blogging and other social media marketing applications for businesses. She is also an engaging presenter and storyteller.

Ms. Bogus regaled us with several tales of her experiences blogging for clients and shared many valuable insights. Not surprisingly, some of her best lessons learned were from her worst mistakes.

I’m not going to focus on those stories; rather, I want to relay two key observations that I found slightly distressing, albeit, undoubtedly true.

Writing is a disappearing skill

If you scan social media networks, various blog hosting sites, and even some online media portals, surely you’ve noticed the sub-par writing skills of many of today’s social media practitioners. A gentleman who identified himself as a former newspaper journalist decried the quality of many blog posts he reads. He didn’t mince words describing the writing as atrocious. Sadly, many agreed with his assessment.

On that note, Ms. Bogus reminded us of the importance of keeping blog posts short and our sentences concise. Write at an 8th grade level using conversational language. People don’t have time. They skim, and if they trip on a word they don’t know, or if they fail to grasp the point of your post quickly, they move on.

Well stab me in the heart.

del.icio.us Tags: blogging,social media,writing

Give your personal brand a purpose

Whether or not you believe in the concept of personal branding, the value of the discussion it has garnered is indisputable. Much of the advice of late is on the importance of finding a meaningful way to distinguish yourself by bringing your talents and passions to a cause that aligns with your values.

In a Forbes article this week, Dorie Clark, CEO of Clark Strategic Communications and the author of the forthcoming book Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future, stated that

“..the true secret of leveraging your personal brand is to ensure it’s not just about you and your ambitions, but the value you can bring to the world.”

We want our corporate and product brands to contribute to the quality of life and help make the world a better place. Should we expect anything less of ourselves?

Find your purpose and make your personal brand stand for something more than professional status.

del.icio.us Tags: personal brand,personal brand defined,personas,online personality

Build personal brand cache through actions, not words

Let your actions speak for your personal brand.

Actions like:

• performing pro bono work for your favorite charity
• serving on a committee at your local school
• writing a professional paper
• mentoring a new employee
• leading a green initiative at work
• rescuing cats or dogs
• foster parenting
• opening your home to disaster victims
• organizing a blood drive and donating blood
• visiting the senior citizen center
• working at the polls

all speak volumes about your character, your passion and your heart. Not only will any of these types of actions enhance people’s respect and admiration for you; they will set a powerful example for your children and their generation of up-and-coming citizens of the world.

Make your personal brand stand for something more than professional status.

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Meet your personal brand manager

Corporations and products have brand managers. Celebrities, athletes, politicians, dignitaries and other famous people do, too.

What about the rest of us?

Mirror, mirror on the wall

I can’t afford a personal housekeeper or trainer and I definitely can’t afford a personal brand manager. So, the job falls to me, myself and I.

Yes, you and I, we 99% have to be our own personal brand managers.

Relax. Generally speaking, you don’t have to put that much effort into managing your personal brand. Since it’s the essence of your character, you merely have to be yourself.

And not just at work and during professional endeavors. Your personal brand is on display and in play always.

Working your network

As I stated in yesterday’s blog post, when it comes to your personal brand and your professional interests, it is worthwhile to develop a set of key messages that bring clarity and focus to your professional attributes and pursuits.

Some refer to these messages as your elevator speech. Take care to formulate messages that are concise and simple to understand; short and sweet as it were. They will be easier to remember.

In addition, a common thread or theme should permeate your messages so your audience can see the linkage between them.

Display social graces

Managing the perception of your personal brand is as simple as acting in accordance with your key messages and the values you profess. That includes when you are online and in a social setting, or perhaps I should stress, especially when you are in a social setting.

Never waiver. It’s the old adage: It takes years to build your reputation and minutes to ruin it.

Be consistent. Talk less. Let your actions speak for you.

del.icio.us Tags: personal brand,personal brand defined,personas,online personality,online profiles,reputation,character,personality,word choice,written word,brand communication,blogs,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

Your personal brand travels with you

Yesterday I chimed in on the discussion that an individual’s personal and professional brands are one and the same.

I agree.

I believe the point behind defining your personal brand was, and is, to help the person develop a set of key messages that bring clarity and focus to their professional attributes and pursuits.

It never occurred to me that a personal brand was supposed to be separate and distinct from an individual’s social brand (so to speak).

Personal brand defined

To borrow from Brandeo’s definition of a brand:

A personal brand is the sum of all the associations, feelings, attitudes and perceptions that people have related to their observations and interactions with you.

Like corporate and product brands, you don’t own your brand. Everyone in your life owns it. You embody it. You exude it. You live it every day, but others perceive it and decide what you represent.

It’s about character.

Your personal brand is the 360°’s of you.

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What you see online isn’t necessarily what you get

In his blog post today, creative strategist and copywriter Richard Becker does a stellar job explaining the myth behind multiple personas. He was bridging a discussion kick-started by Peter Shankman who proclaimed that individuals possess only one brand.

Becker doesn’t take issue with Shankman’s assertion; in fact, he supports it and expounds on it beautifully.

This isn’t a discussion on personal brand, it’s about character, Becker states. He writes,

“…there is no division between your personal and professional lives.”

If that isn’t clear to everyone today, will the point ever hit home for those who don’t get it? Apparently, these individuals will have to learn via the school of hard knocks.

You are what you post

This can be good, or bad, depending on how you present yourself in professional versus personal settings. If there’s a serious disconnect or a wide gulf, suspicions about you may arise and it may serve to undermine your professional pursuits (and possibly your personal relationships).

That’s not to say there won’t be variations in your presentations – how you express yourself in words and pictures in various online portals. As Becker intimated, people act differently depending on the environment. There are standards of decorum for various venues, situations and settings. Smart people act accordingly. The same is true online.

Be true to yourself

“Your brand or character is multi-faceted and always evolving.”

So it’s okay to be a proud alumni or a homer on your professional sport team’s fan page, as long as you aren’t too extreme.

And that’s the point. It is wise to demonstrate sound judgment and a sense of awareness.

For example, never present yourself as something other than you are – live or online. You will be found out. And the consequences may be far-reaching. You may damage your character and reputation for years.

Your life timeline online 24 x 7 x 365 x infinity

Be cognizant that others form opinions and assessments about you based on what they see all over the Internet. So, be tweet-wise, smart with your smartphone photos, and clever, real and tasteful with your videos.

Taken all together, you are the sum of the whole of your online actions: and even that isn’t 100% accurate.

SIDEBAR: Some, like Becker, have decided not to worry about judgments others make based on online information they dig up. It may say more about the character of those individuals than about the individuals they are researching, Becker asserts. 

True, but not everyone is in a position in their life to cast aside these concerns.

del.icio.us Tags: personal brand,personas,online personality,online profiles,reputation,character,personality,Richard Becker,Copywrite Ink,Peter Shankman,word choice,written word,brand communication,blogs,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

Advertising, sustainability and the voice of a new generation

Do we meaninglessly encourage people to buy, eat, consume, drive things they don't need? Or do we have a point of view?

These questions were asked by Kate Robertson, group chairman at Euro RSCG and co-founder of global forum One Young World, at the 4A’s confab held the last week of March in Los Angeles.

The knock on the ad industry

Her questions, as reported by Ad Age, were part of a discussion Robertson initiated about the advertising industry and sustainability. She pondered whether the two are diametrically opposed because advertising is about selling. Robertson pressed her colleagues asking if ad professionals blatantly lie on behalf of their clients.

Do we shill without a conscience?

Quite provocative.

Knock it off

Was anyone listening? I wonder if the message was carried back to attendee’s shops and given serious consideration. I wonder if anyone who heard her message or read her comments in Ad Age did or is doing some soul searching. I wonder if anyone is taking a stand and making some changes.

If you had to hazard a guess?

Clearly this is an issue that warrants industry-wide action.

Opportunity knocks

Another observation that drew some comments from attendees was those conspicuous by their absence: the youth of the industry.

Let’s see, the 4A’s wishes to attract young blood and the industry is confronted with a green issue that goes to the heart of the core values of today’s generation. Seems we have a match made in heaven.

del.icio.us Tags: sustainability,protecting the environment,going green,conscience,Amercian Association of Advertising Agencies,4A's,Transformation LA,word choice,written word,brand communication,blogs,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

A slow news day? There isn’t an app for that

I spend a fair amount of time each day on the web reading content on news portals, publications, blogs and discussion groups. I scan social media feeds multiple times a day seeking something interesting to read. Oftentimes, an article, editorial, blog post or discussion will inspire me or spark on idea that leads to a blog post.

That didn’t happen today.

I don’t know if that says something about the content or something about me. Probably both. It clearly exposes the fact that I don’t adhere tightly to an editorial calendar to drive this blog. My posts tend to be spontaneous.

There’s still plenty of buzz around “The Acquisition” yesterday. I guess I could add my voice to the noise. The price tag alone delivered caused a webquake. I’ve a bit of Facebook Fatigue though, and frankly, I didn’t know a thing about Instagram until the announcement (cut me some slack, I’m a writer).

Actually, my Instagram ignorance has more to do with the fact that I’m not much of an apps guy. I don’t scour the Android market for productivity, finance, entertainment, business or communication apps for my HTC Incredible smartphone. I do have a few of the popular apps, but put a big bold accent mark on few. I pay a visit to Google Play a couple of times a month just to see what’s trending. On occasion, I’ll download something to trial.

Maybe if I had a tablet my “apptitude” would change. That wouldn’t alter the fact that I didn’t find anything interesting to share with you today.

Or did I?

del.icio.us Tags: news portals,discussion groups,blogs,Facebook,Instagram,HTC Incredible,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

A network of a different social

Thirteen months ago I authored a post railing against bad behavior on Facebook and the social network’s evolution into something well beyond friends and family staying connected. My rant was driven by the boorish, rude and outlandish behavior exhibited by a vocal minority.

It was further spurred on by the antagonistic, incessant and annoying posts by some espousing their personal beliefs and attacking those with differing viewpoints.

And then came big business.

Of course, no one listened and now my feed is polluted with nonsense of all sorts that has very little to do the social lives of friends and family.

Social winds of change

I believe the environment is ripe for new social networks to emerge. Much like print, electronic and digital media are targeted, social networks like Facebook are prime for disruption by new niche social networks. These networks would be topic driven.

At the top of the list is a political social network. Let the activists and loud mouths take to a social media-like application that is dedicated to political free speech. Imagine the vitriol in a no holds barred social network with Facebook functionality. It would be the online version of ultimate cage fighting.

Social Network Name:  Uncivil Discourse

Second on the list is a religious social network where peeps from every belief system known to humans would gather to revel in their holiness and to attack every other belief system known to humans for being tools of the devil.

Social Network Name:  Divine Intolerance

But seriously folks

How quickly could a social media entrepreneur gain millions of subscribers for a network focused on pets? Kittens. Puppies. Bunnies. Goats. Macaws. A social forum to swap pet ownership tales and share photos and videos would be an overnight success.

Social Network Name:  Pet Net

Would expectant and new moms glom onto a social network where they could share their experiences every day and post thousands of photos? Obviously.

Social Network Name:  Baby Facebook

Yea, yea, I know. Allow me to borrow from the advice Sean Parker gave Mark Zuckerberg…

Revised Social Network Name:  BabyFace

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Can I pique your Pinterest?

I participated in a Pinterest workshop today.

Really? Pinterest for a writer? I know,  I haven’t quite come to grips with the concept myself.

How does a writer leverage Pinterest to express himself and his craft? Pinterest is all about images that tell stories. I’m all about written stories that might be augmented by a few images.

Still, I’m a visual guy, so I decided to give it a try.

Today,  I learned many of the fundamentals for beginners.  I now have an account. I am following a handful of other Pinterest members, and I set up some boards.

Image is everything

But now I’m stuck. What do I add to the boards? I can’t write a poem and publish it on a board. I apparently have to seek out images that captivate me and pin them to the appropriate board. I am then permitted to pen a few words about the image.

A few words? This could be a more significant challenge than writing a headline, subject line or tweet.

Is this writer a glutton for punishment? Perhaps, but I have no one to blame but myself. You see, I decided on the topic and found the Pinterest expert. Was it weird that I was the only male in the room?

del.icio.us Tags: pinterest,pinboards,images,followers,interests,females,written word,brand communication,blogs,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

Can you picture this?

I led a discussion on infographics for a bloggers group today. As a copywriter, the topic is a bit of a stretch for me. I’m biased, you see. I prefer an abundance of words complimented by a few visuals. Infographics seems destined to limit words in favor of an abundance of graphics.

There’s a dichotomy at play here.

A commitment is your word, though, so I put aside my personal views on the matter, conducted some additional research and crafted a presentation entitled “The Rise and Fall of Infographics”. I patterned a fair portion of it after a blog post of the same title I wrote back in December on infographics. A necessary addition to the presentation, however, was a brief (very brief) discussion on the history of infographics.

In addition, it was important to update some of my examples, since many infographics are on issues of the day. Therefore, some are stale after 30 days, and a significantly higher percentage are very dated after three months.

The upshot

The discussion went very well. Attendees were very engaged and asked some excellent questions. As is always the case in a professional organization, I learned some things from my audience. I will incorporate these data points into my presentation in the next few days.

This topic remains very popular, it seems. I’m thinking I may need to be careful here. If my presentation is too well received and word spreads, I may be invited to speak to other organizations.

I’m already scheduled to present on the topic at the Austin Marketing Syndicate on Thursday and at a RISE Session on Tuesday, March 27.

I may gain a reputation as a knowledge authority on infographics. Imagine that: a copywriter who can barely draw stick figures, an expert on infographics.

Can you picture this?

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Help! I’m drowning in content

Content, content, content. Marketing organizations are pumping out so much content it’s becoming a commodity.

This is annoying and has the potential to cause your customers to tune out.

To what purpose?

Content is valuable if it imparts knowledge, makes your customer’s lives easier and reinforces your value proposition.

And that’s the point, isn’t it? All of your content should be telling a story where your brand is the hero. The problems described may be vastly different, and how they are solved may be unique and unrelated, but each tale must reinforce what makes your brand compelling and unique.

Each read should convince the target audience that your brand is the best choice for “X”. In some cases, it may be a specific benefit that only your brand offers. In other cases, such as where it’s a crowded market, take running shoes, for instance, it may have something to do with a personal value, like a race for a cure.

Other methods for imparting value via your content was described recently in this post.

Be pithy

Brevity is in. Write with clarity and focus on precision in your communication. Leave no room for interpretation. Say it in as few words as possible. Be crisp, clear and concise.

And please, don’t repeat yourself over and over again. In other words, don’t be redundant.

Get the point? People are busy. Get to the point and be content with your content. Then get out.

del.icio.us Tags: content marketing,information overload,customer-centric,thought leadership,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writer,ad copy,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogging,blogger

Of news and nonsense at SXSW

It’s South by Southwest (SXSW) time in Austin. The events began on March 9 and runs through March 18. Film, Interactive and Music.

There’s so much noise coming out of downtown Austin, it’s difficult to filter the news from the nonsense.

If you are a communications professional for a brand at SXSW, how do you get noticed? Do you initiate a full-on social media assault, hold a special event, hire temporary staff to work the crowds throughout the SXSW venues or resort to gimmicks? Do you publish content each day during SXSW hoping to ride the coattails of others announcements adjacent to your market and product offerings?

All of the above…and more?

Other than pumping out useless dribble, most any article, blog, video or other observation piece will get some traction online.

An industry event like SXSW (or CES) carries so much cache that you should publish…often. Just make sure it’s strategic, interesting, insightful, unique, and worthy of your brand.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m headed downtown to take in some live music. If I see or hear anything of interest, perhaps I’ll blog about it here. Rest assured I’ll try to avoid the nonsense and not end up becoming part of the news.

del.icio.us Tags: South by Southwest,SXSW,interactive,film,music,Austin Texas,copywriter,precision in communication,ghost writer,ad copy freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media,social media writer,blogger,blogging

The consumer engagement book on Facebook

In the February 28 online edition of Ad Age is the following headline:

Even Sexy Brands Struggle With Low Engagement on Facebook

with this subhead:

Less Than 1% of Fans -- a Lot Less, in Most Cases -- Actually Do Something

Even so-called passion brands experienced underwhelming numbers.

Who is surprised by this finding?

Engagement isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Facebook and other social media platforms are still evolving as an effective media for brands. It remains unclear how best to interact with consumers in a meaningful way that results in measurable revenue as well as a stronger relationship.

It will come over time. Some brands will discover how to seriously monetize engagement on Facebook. Others will discover that Facebook is worthwhile only to maintain visibility and a dialogue – which is valuable – but to look to other media to drive revenue.

In the near term, the question is: will the findings of this very extensive study change how brands approach Facebook? Will brands continue to devote the same level of human resources, time and money, or will an adjustment occur?

Are you responsible for the social media campaign for a brand? Will you fine-tune your Facebook strategy?

del.icio.us Tags: social media,Facebook,Facebook likes,advertising,passion brands,brand engagement,branding,engage,engaged,customer engagement,social engagement,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,ad copy freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogging

Happiness is…a picture and a thousand words

Can photos alone tell a brand story? Can they launch a thousand products?  Can they drive sales and repeat sales, and engender and nurture customer loyalty?

Can photos make the written word superfluous?

If the product is digital cameras, perhaps. For most other products, no.

This study says blogs and other text-oriented applications are dying

Some studies and a few experts think it’s true. Ekaterina Walter, a social media strategist at Intel, authored a blog for Jay Baer, a self described hype-free social media and content strategist, with the headline:

Will The Rise of the Photo Apps Kill the Written Word?

I encourage you to read the blog post. It’s really quite fascinating, well researched, expertly analyzed by Ekaterina. You might be surprised by what the data tells you, but then again, you might just say, “Of course! It’s rather obvious actually.”

The answer is, it depends

The early results suggest that photo apps will be a vital marketing communications component for companies with products that sell based on their visual appeal. Ekaterina’s write-up explains this well, so I won’t repeat what you can read in her post.

To Pinterest, or to not Pinterest

As you might expect, some of what is fueling this debate is the rocket-like rise of Pinterest. It has blown up in dizzying fashion to become all the rage in social media realms. Businesses are jumping in and trying to figure out how to integrate Pinterest into their marketing and social media strategy. Inevitably, some will discover that the application adds little to no measurable value for them.

Are company blogs doomed?

Hardly. Blogs will remain a strategic imperative for complex products that are a difficult sell. They’ll also continue to be an important communications vehicle in industries and with companies where innovation is a constant.

We’ve hailed the end before

Remember, experts exclaimed that the paperless office was a forgone conclusion with the introduction of the personal computer for business.  That was over a quarter-century ago. They nailed that one, didn’t they?

Pictures are powerful, yet they are like art, which is subject to individual interpretation. In many cases, words ensure the interpretation is as the brand intended.

The written word will never die, and that makes copywriters everywhere, this one included, very happy.

del.icio.us Tags: Photo apps,Pinterest,written word,brand communication,blogs,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

Embrace the impossible

Some consider it a challenge to write a tweet. Admittedly it is, especially if your subject is very complex. However, once you’ve authored a few tweets, you realize you can actually say a lot in 140 characters.

I consider writing a headline or subject line a much more difficult assignment. I admire those who possess the skill to craft a succinct, yet very informative, provocative or punchy headline or subject line, especially if they do so with an economy of words.

There is a new line of thinking flittering about in the blogosphere that headlines today, especially for blogs and other social media, need to be longer. Short headlines just don’t cut it anymore.

The long and short of it

The argument is that there is so much content being pumped at people on the Internet that the headline has to do all of the work. You need to provide enough context − the who, what, and especially the why − to convince the reader that your post is relevant, insightful, educational or informational, and worth his or her time.

Length ≠ quality

If everyone is writing long form explanatory headlines, oh what a dull Internet it will be. Some will read the title and decide they’ve learned all they need to know. It’s akin to skimming search engine results and drawing conclusions without clicking on the URLs. The jazz, mystery and appeal of a brief blog or story title disappears.

Furthermore, not every book is a novel. Short stories often deliver significant impact.

Motion to contest

Short titles still have a place in today’s social media driven world. To demonstrate, I’d like to turn headline writing into a game fashioned after the Bid-A-Note segment from the television game show Name That Tune. If you’re not familiar with the show, here’s a brief explanation:

After being read a clue, two contestants bid on who can name the tune in the fewest notes.  The opening bid from one contestant might be five notes. The opponent either counters with a lower bid, or challenges the other to Name That Tune. 

Write that headline

MC Bob: Here’s the situation:  A woman has just achieved an astonishing feat that defies laws of nature, science, medicine and logic. Experts are fumbling for words to effectively describe what many are refusing to believe occurred, even though  thousands saw it with their own eyes. Without using the words miracle, faith or higher power, Write That Headline!

Brainy Brian:  Bob, I can write that headline in five words.

Babbling Brooke:  Bob, I can write that headline in four words.

Brainy Brian:  Three words.

Babbling Brooke: Okay Brainy Brian, write that headline!

MC Bob: Okay Brainy Brian, you have ten seconds to Write That Headline using only three words.  Remember, miracle, faith and high power can not be part of the headline. Ready…GO!

Brainy Brian:  Embrace the impossible.

del.icio.us Tags: headline,title,words,vocabulary,lexicon,spoken word,written word,written language,word choice,catchphrases,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

The incredibly annoying overuse of like

One of my readers encouraged me to author a post on “one more diatribe about the modern phenomenon of the usage of the word ‘like’”. My reply, admittedly was a bit snarky:

I “like” your suggestion…. If there were a Like button, I'd click it. ;)

In truth, I do like the suggestion and vigorously agree with the reader’s observation that the overuse of like in communication has expanded well beyond the teenage demographic.

The “Like” Virus

Teenagers use “like” as a crutch word when they are telling stories. This is natural and practically universal. It happened in my day and it’s going on now with my daughters and their wide circle of friends. I’m no expert on the matter, but I suspect part of it is teenagers are still are honing their skills as storytellers and learning the fine art of carrying on a conversation. In both instances, they tend to speak too quickly and with a lot of emotion, so their brains are often playing catch-up. “Like” serves as a convenient filler.

Mercifully, most outgrow it in their early 20s.

At least they used to, but now it seems a majority don’t outgrow it at all and a striking number of adults have caught the “like” virus.

A Social Virus

Is it possible that social media subconsciously contributed to its overuse and abuse?  Admittedly, this is likely (sorry, I couldn’t resist) a stretch, but it deserves to be considered.

Social media captured the younger generation’s imagination immediately. As their fascination, passion and excitement grew, adults began to take notice. We worried at first about their time involvement, but once we checked out Facebook, we were hooked.

Teens then worried that their parents. Were parents and their friend’s parents going to stalk them on Facebook? That concern soon abated when adults began reconnecting with childhood, high school and college friends. Mom and Dad didn’t have time to police their teens.

The upside was that adults and teens had something in common; both were ensnared in Facebook mania.

Then came YouTube.

Between these social media apps, Twitter, and mobile phone apps, moms, dads and their teenagers had so many shared “likes” to discuss. Did the younger generation’s enthusiasm infect adults with the “like” virus?

Even if this were true, it doesn’t explain why so many adults now pollute their oral conversations with “like”. It’s rather distracting and annoying. What’s up with this regression?

My Take

I blame it on the Like function in Facebook.

Okay, so clearly I’m at a loss to explain. Does that surprise you? It shouldn’t, I’m a writer. I suggest this is almost exclusively a verbal communications issue. It is best addressed by experts in that field.

Your Take

If you have any suppositions on why “like” is the most overused word in the English language, please share it in the Comment section.

del.icio.us Tags: oral communication,social media,Facebook,Twitter,YouTube,Like function,+1,thumbs up,words,vocabulary,lexicon,spoken word,written word,written language,word choice,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

Brand separation anxiety

Would it be okay with you if you didn’t hear from your brand for a few days? Would you be upset if she didn’t show up on Facebook, was absent from your Google+ feed, didn’t send a Tweet, wasn’t a storyline in LinkedIn, and skipped answering a question in Quora for a spell?

Could you survive it?

Could your relationship with your brand survive it?

Would you still Like her? Would you +1 her the next time she appeared in your feed? Would you Favorite the next 140 character message she flew? And would you upvote a reply to a vexing inquiry?

In today’s hyper-connected social world, could you stand to be disconnected from the one you love online, just for a day? Or two? Or three?

LiveJournal Tags: brand,brand management,brand steward,brand relationship,social media,Facebook,Google+,LinkedIn,Twitter,Quora,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,ad copy freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger

(Anti)social media

Since when did it become acceptable to assail people you don’t know online? It happens every minute of the day on social media and news sites. Many of these verbal assaults are unprovoked and unwarranted.

It’s cowardly to hide behind an Anonymous or fictitious name. It’s spineless to make unsubstantiated accusations and malign someone’s character for sport. It’s childish to resort to name calling simply because you disagree with their point of view.

Even in mainstream media the Comments section following news articles is laced with churlish remarks. The topic of the news story is often irrelevant. Certain unnamed or code named participants hijack the conversation and turn it into an ugly partisan political diatribe. It’s disturbing and appalling.

Please stop or sign off

If you are that insecure in your beliefs that a person from an opposing viewpoint so unsettles you, then perhaps you should sign off the Internet and put your blinders on or put your head back in the sand.

Oops. I apologize for that unprovoked attack.

LiveJournal Tags: respect,common decency,copywriting,precision in communication,ghost writing,ad copy freelance,marketing communications consultant,social media writer,blogger