Everybody Writes
“Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content" by Ann Handley is a popular writing tool also used as class material in a marketing course of mine; the following are key topics and excerpts used for class discussions.
My most relevant material taken from this book was a chapter on video rhetoric for a separate class presentation. Creating a promotional video for a local business. During our brainstorming on creating a vision for this ad, we used these tips to make it as effective as possible.
“video is a show-me media.”
A checklist of talking points will feel like a class presentation rather than a storytelling device. Less formal language and writing in the present tense make the viewer feel a part of the video’s purpose. Showing our audience what we want to convey, not telling them, is key to maintaining their attention.
“Social media is intended for conversation and connection.”
Encouraging connection is its main purpose to expand your brand’s awareness.
There is a fine line between personalizing your brand and getting too personal, especially on socials.
Authenticity builds trust
“Share the Value Not the Event.”
posting events and new products can be lost next to every other promotion we see online; letting customers realize the value they get from participating in captions rather than giving dates and product drops sets you apart instantly
Wise Words. A Summary of My Look Into Seth Godin’s Blog
Being a major topic of discussion in my digital marketing class this semester, Seth Godin’s blog has been in my head for a while, and I thought I’d share what I took from his most popular blog posts that I’ve read over these past few weeks.
The following are the articles that stuck out for me,
“Quieting the Lizard Brain” Posted January 2010
“Ode: How To Tell A Great Story” Posted April 2006
“Define: Brand” Posted December 2009
And “Understanding Business Development” Posted September 2009
While each post has some wisdom to carry with you throughout your day and possibly some more currently relevant, these posts carry some timeless advice/information about the world we work in and how to navigate it.
My key takeaways are:
Understanding the power of self-sabotage in “Quieting the Lizard Brain”
Recognize when “the lizard brain is creating compromises, or over-analysis situations to catch it in its tracks instead of working to appease your fear (the lizard).
Fear of failure, change, or critiques from the public is vital to create successful products.
Everyone faces this human instinct of fear, successful people learn to recognize it.
Less is More
telling a story effectively is very contextual, but what never changes is our desire to leave the reader with something to think about
explaining everything leaves nothing for our readers to do and no actions to take.
“The fewer details a marketer spells out, the more powerful the story becomes”
Defining a Brand
“A brand’s value is merely the sum total of how much extra people will pay, or how often they choose”.
There has been a shift in the relevance of a brand’s design to the emotional experience, memories, and feelings towards a brand that is required today. Seth’s definition rejects the notion of a customer recognizing a brand unless they know all about it, choose it as their preferred product/service, and recommend the brand to others.
Business Development
My understanding of business development expanded by reading this blog post, broadening your business’s awareness through partnerships and negotiations can take an infinite amount of forms and no great business development deal is the same. The timing and context of your execution are equally as important as the execution.