Make Your Writing Concise and Readable by Eliminating Redundancy

By Montrie Rucker AdamsJune 17, 2014 Blog writing

I was in elementary school the first time I realized I loved writing. However, I soon realized that writing the fiction I loved to read, and writing non-fiction, was very different.

When you’re writing your blogs or other content, every word should have meaning and tell your story. Using redundant phrases gets in the way of readability and lessens the impact.

Here are some common two-word redundant phrases to eliminate. Use one word or the other, not both:

close proximity
join together
large in size
past history
past experience
daily basis
added bonus
completely full
circulate around
final outcome
invited guests
general public
future plans
free gift
armed shooter
advance planning
major breakthrough
revert back
sum total
still continues
true fact
unexpected surprise
unsolved mystery
twelve midnight

Many write the way they talk. You may say, “It was an unexpected surprise!” however writing both is not necessary. Saying them isn’t either, but old habits are hard to break.

If you make “plans,” they are for the future. A”gift” is always “free” (at least it should be, or it’s not a gift). If something is “true,” then it is a “fact.”

Many are reading on devices, with limited time. Writing tight and concise gets to the point and drives a clear message.

Try it…let me know what you think.

The Telephone as a Marketing Tool

By Montrie Rucker AdamsJune 16, 2014 Blog email, landline, marketing, voicemail

In our “high-tech” world, it seems so easy to forget to “reach out and touch” someone. However, in marketing, hearing a live voice on the phone has its merits.

The low-tech telephone is often pushed aside for email and texts as a sales tool in this digital age. Many sales still originate over the phone and here’s a few ways to use it to your advantage.

Keep your system up-to-date

Don’t let potential customers encounter a busy signal or wait for 20 rings until it’s answered. Consider installing a system with multiple lines so this doesn’t happen.

Forego call waiting. Customers don’t like being asked to hold so you can answer another line.

Don’t have the customer push a lot of buttons. Make sure that one of the first options is to speak to a “live” person.

Have a separate line for faxes.

Add caller ID, voicemail and conference calling to your service.

How you answer—or don’t—matters
If the designated phone answerer isn’t available, have a cordial message on voicemail, promising that the call will be returned promptly. The person answering should have a greeting tone that is warm and friendly. You can’t “redo” a first impression. How your business operates is reflected in the tone of voice. If you have multiple employees, give them a script so your company message is consistent, but rehearse it so their words don’t sound like they’re reading a script.

When you return the customer’s call, or have a call routed to you, never give the impression that you’ve been interrupted or rush the caller. Ask pertinent questions, but also give the caller a chance to ask you questions.

Cellular phones
Using a mobile phone in addition to your landline helps with customer accessibility. If you’re going to be away from the office for more than a couple of hours, pick up your voicemail often, or have office calls forwarded to your mobile phone.

If your office is in your home, make the office a separate area. Screaming children or a barking dog can damage your professional image.

Though it seems email and text messages are popular, you still have to reach your audience in the manner they wish. In eliminating voice calls, you may be eliminating sales opportunities.

Consumers Lash Out at American Girl on Facebook After Diverse Dolls are Discontinued

By Montrie Rucker AdamsJune 13, 2014 Blog American Girl, American Girl doll, Cecile, diversity, facebook, Ivy, Marie-Grace, Ruthie, twitter

Recently, the American Girl doll maker and retailer announced that it is dropping four dolls from its historical doll line. That wouldn’t be news except that one of the dolls is one of two black dolls and one is their only Asian doll.

Angry Facebook fans saw the move as reducing the line’s diversity and lashed out. American Girl responded to some commenters in the more than 1,200 in the thread, stating that they remain committed to offering diverse cultures and races in their dolls. Commenters responded about the disconnect in the statement, since it would no longer have any Asian dolls for sale. Reaction on Twitter was similar.

American Girl contends that the reason for the dolls discontinuation was that it was moving away from its “friend” dolls, ones that are sold in pairs but not separately.

The company sent a statement to ABC News after its news story on the discontinuation and fan outrage:

“At nearly one million strong, we’re proud of the relationships we’ve built with our dedicated Facebook community. Our fans are very passionate and many of our posts generate a high level of engagement, including comments, likes and shares. Certainly we know that whenever we announce that a character is archiving, it will cause some level of disappointment, especially among our most ardent fans… While demand for characters certainly plays a part in our overall decision making, the main reason for this year’s approach is based on the decision to move away from our friend-character strategy within the historical line. This decision affected Marie-Grace, Ruthie, as well as Ivy and Cecile—the first two racially diverse characters to be archived by American Girl. In comparison, American Girl will be archiving a total of nine Caucasian characters since 2008.”

Our daughter is an American Girl fan and loves her American Girl doll. I understand the company’s move. As long as dolls are represented for girls of all ethnicities, the fans should be happy “American Girls.”

The “Sustainable Font” Created by a London Ad Agency

By Montrie Rucker AdamsJune 10, 2014 Blog font, garamond, Grey London, Ryman Eco, sustainable

We see the word “sustainability” so much now, that it’s becoming the new black.

It all started with a 14-year-old Pittsburgh student who pointed out that the U.S. government, if it switched its font choice to the classic Garamond, it could save $400 million a year. Thinking about ink use coined the term “sustainable font.”

The Grey London advertising agency recently teamed with Ryman Stationery to create a sustainable font, called “Ryman Eco.” The font used 33 percent less ink than most other fonts when printed, saving 500 million ink cartridges and 15 million barrels of oil each year.

The typeface development began internally at Grey, and they brought the idea to Ryman, the U.K.’s largest stationer. From there, the team worked with Dan Rhatigan of Monontype to design the font. You can watch the video on its making here, which also has a link for downloading the free font.

Are you smarter than a 14-year-old? Can you think of a creative way to be more “sustainable?”

I’m sure you can think of more than one. Try…and let me know what you create.

Pinterest Told to “Get Green” by its Users and Greenpeace

By Montrie Rucker AdamsJune 5, 2014 Blog facebook, green, Greenpeace, pins, pinterest, twitter

It seems that no one has an excuse for not going “green.”

At a demonstration outside Pinterest’s headquarters in San Francisco, influential Pinterest users and Greenpeace activists asked the social network to use renewable energy to power its platform.

Mimicking Pinterest’s interface, the demonstrators set up two 15-foot by 13-foot “boards” with “pins” that stated, “Make Our Pins Green.” The featured “pins” were designed by Pinterest users who have almost five million combined followers.

The activists also set up a solar-powered café in a trailer with functioning solar panels, keeping the coffee hot with solar-powered burners.

Pinterest has 70 million users with 750 million boards and 30 billion pins but has yet to commit to a sustainable energy program. Other tech companies have committed to using renewable energy including Apple, Google and Facebook.

Pinterest is powered by Amazon Web Services, whose data centers are only powered by 15 percent renewable energy. Greenpeace is pushing all major Internet companies to shift to renewable energy sources. It is inviting Pinterest users to join the campaign and share content from pinterest.com/greenpeaceusa/clickclean.

Alternative Ways to Communicate Your Company’s Sustainability Brand

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 30, 2014March 20, 2019 Blog, Sustainability

You want to let the world know your work in sustainability, but it’s a daunting task. You do so much. What’s the easiest way to communicate it all? Thanks for asking.

You need to make your messages personal and relatable: Get to how people live. Start with where they are on a daily basis. What they do at home, work or in school. Then move on to more global environmental themes. For example, when addressing climate change, don’t start with facts, start with its impact at home. Communicate what impact your company’s practices and products have on day-to-day activities. Then expand to how it affects the global environment.

In London’s Science Museum, a current exhibition entitled, “Climate Changing Stories,” is a free display that combines science, imagination and art with differing time periods and perspectives. It gives a unique view of our evolving planet. Co-sponsored by Siemens, Bank of America, and Shell, these corporations tied themselves to the green movement—one way of telling their story without words.

Global brands invest in efforts to persuade customers to live more sustainably. They only succeed if they strike the right tone. Aligning themselves with a local exhibit, they avoided the pitfalls of being perceived as too “corporate” and distant.

Smaller exhibits and community events are ways for smaller businesses to expand their reach with consumers and communicate their position on sustainability. Start with where people live, work and play…you then expand.

Why Classic Public Relations is the Future of Digital Marketing

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 29, 2014 Blog google+, pr, public relations, SEO, traditional pr

We’ve always touted the importance of content. It’s not about what you say, but the content’s quality.

To underscore our point, Google’s recent change in its Search Engine Optimization (SEO) algorithm rewards social media links and quality content. The evolution of SEO makes a good case for traditional public relations (PR) in marketing.

Google wants sites to be rife with high-quality content that users will want to use and share. That’s where PR comes in. It can deliver consistently valuable content that appeals to target audiences. PR professionals can create good content, engage with influencers and devise a social networking strategy.

Traditional PR knows how to emphasize the interesting aspects of a business and craft an appropriate profile to engage with and engender trust with its audience. This can include handling media relations, corporate communications, and managing events through blogger outreach and social media.

Classic PR tactics can earn coverage from reputable news sites. This can lead to a company’s website to gain inbound links, upping their SEO factor. Online and offline activities complement one another. If you’ve been mentioned in traditional media, bolster that by providing the content online as well.

PR is about quality, not quantity. Digital marketers should follow their lead. Build long-term relationships with both online and offline sources, such as bloggers and journalists who will give you coverage many times.

Websites see a spike in viewers after a traditional PR campaign is kicked off, like a newsletter or event. A regular review of your company’s PR strategy is key to succeeding digitally.

Try it. Let us know the results.

How to Get More Referrals for Your Construction Company

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 27, 2014 Blog construction, referrals

Of all the ways one can “advertise” their business, referrals are at the top of the list. There’s even an organization structured solely around generating client referrals for members.

If you are affiliated with a construction company, getting referrals from existing satisfied customers is a way to expand your client base. Here are six easy ways to do that:

Invite Your Customers—And Their Friends—To The Construction Site

Extend the invitation close to the completion of the project, when the result is easy for customers to visualize and most of the debris is gone. This can spark a discussion on problems and needs which can lead to new projects.

Give Away at Least Three Business Cards

Customers still collect business cards. When they ask for yours, give them more – three to five. When friends ask about how the project went, they’ll act as your salesperson and hand out your cards.

Follow Up

Send a thank-you note to customers after you’ve completed their project. Printed letters or the personal touch of a hand-written note can offer more impact than email.

Ask

When following up, ask for referrals. Enclose a postage-paid postcard they can send back with names and contact information.

Offer a Reward for Referrals

A retail or restaurant gift card, sporting event tickets or $50 in cash can encourage leads, if it turns into a sale.

Stay Focused

Make the referral process part of the marketing plan. Don’t do it once, continue to focus on inviting, asking and following up. Your rewards will soon come.

Majority of Americans Believe Climate Change is Caused by Humans

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 21, 2014 Blog, Sustainability Climate Change, global warming, hurricanes, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, sense and sensibility study, sustainability

There is so much talk about climate change that it sometimes makes my head spin. The pros and cons are everywhere. Some say it’s just a farce, others say we’d better start building bunkers in which to hide and store food.

It seems that over 60 percent of Americans now believe that over time, human actions are causing global warming. The spate of natural weather disasters are influencing this opinion, according the the fifth annual Sense & Sustainability Study.

The study indicates that 48 percent of Americans found water scarcity to be a concern. Media coverage of extreme weather events is a big influencer. Even if Americans are not immediately affected by storms, the news about hurricanes and droughts can evoke fear and concern.

While an increase in climate change awareness is happening, it needs to be higher. Last fall, leading scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced they are 95 percent confident that human influence is the dominant cause of global warming. The IPCC states that the last three decades have been warmer at the Earth’s surface than at any other decade since 1850.

Storytelling is effective strategy to make climate change relevant when addressing issues of sustainability and social responsibility. Companies need to take note, as only 21 percent of those surveyed said they believe the majority of businesses are committed to being “green.”

If you’re concerned, why not find a space to get busy “spreading the word.” You can begin with your closest family and friends…and by being an example.

Together, we can save the planet for future generations.

Clippers’ Owner Donald Sterling Does more Damage in “Damage Control” Interview

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 14, 2014 Blog clippers, donald sterling, LA Clippers, Magic, Magic Johnson, sterling

In a televised interview on Anderson Cooper 360 (AC360), embattled NBA Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling attempted to put a positive spin on his racial rant that led to his lifetime ban from pro basketball. His spin was anything but positive. He created more fodder to bolster his image as a racist. Sterling claimed he was “baited” into making his racial slurs and went on to blame former NBA star Magic Johnson for his scandal.

Public relations professionals see a prime-time interview after a scandal as an opportunity, a chance for redemption and to reverse negative public opinion. Sterling’s remarks ensured that the scandal won’t die down soon. His attempt at repentance wasn’t convincing, as he said he didn’t mean the things his alleged girlfriend V. Stiviano caught on tape, and that he was not a racist.

Sterling then turned on Cooper, saying, “I think you have more of a plantation mentality than I do,” he said. “You’re more of a racist than I am.”

He then called out Magic Johnson, whom he called Stiviano out for being seen with in the tape, stating,

“What has he done? He’s got AIDS.”

“I just don’t think he’s a good example to the children of Los Angeles…that he would go do what he did and then get AIDS.”

“The players don’t hate me. The sponsors don’t hate me. The fans don’t hate me. It’s just the media,” he said. “People call me by the thousands and give me support.”

Putting aside Johnson’s 23-year-old charitable foundation and millions of dollars invested in urban communities, Sterling continued: “What does he do for the black people? He doesn’t do anything. Some of the African Americans—maybe I’ll get in trouble again—they don’t want to help anybody.”

One person who did do damage control correctly was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who issued a statement after the Cooper interview aired:

“I just read a transcript of Donald Sterling’s interview with Anderson Cooper and while Magic Johnson doesn’t need me to, I feel compelled on behalf of the NBA family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack. The NBA Board of Governors is continuing with its process to remove Mr. Sterling as expeditiously as possible.”

What Sterling failed to do was his own damage control. When faced with this situation, he should have followed Silver’s lead and done three things:

1. Apologize. When you’ve clearly offended…rather it’s an individual, group or organization, sincerely apologize.

2. Admit wrongdoing. As with the apology, admit that you were wrong.

3. Keep your mouth closed. After you’ve stated one and two, stop. Say nothing else about the situation. If questions continue, continue with one and two.

In a subsequent interview with Anderson Cooper, Magic Johnson stated, “He didn’t apologize to me.” This clearly shows that sincere apologies are important.

We all make mistakes and are entitled to them. However, owning up to and acknowledging mistakes is key to damage control.

How an Electric Company’s Brochure was Created without Using Electricity

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 13, 2014 Blog, Sustainability blackout 2003, electric, electricity

I will never forget the Northeast blackout in August, 2003. The blackout affected an estimated 10 million people in Ontario and 45 million people in eight U.S. east coast states. Ohio was one of them. I was pregnant with my daughter and could only think, “This is crazy. We do everything with electricity!”

It seems that we can actually live without it (at least for a short time).

The creative team at the advertising agency Leo Burnett Lisboa were hired to produce a brochure for the electric company EDP Group to educate consumers about its “Access to Energy” campaign. The campaign hopes to bring power to isolated communities and raise awareness about global electric consumption. And they produced a print brochure without using electricity.

In one month, designers drew by hand folded the brochures by hand. Sunlight was the light source and the printing was done manually. The process was documented by using analog cameras. Beyond the content of the brochure, the process makes a statement about sustainability. Watch it here:

Incorporating SEO into Your Website Content

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMay 1, 2014 Blog

When people “Google” our information, we want it to be the first on the long list of results. Now, search engine optimization (SEO) is tailoring your website’s content to what they use to index it and help visitors find your site. Here’s a primer on how you can do it:

Use a great, concise headline, eight words or less, if possible. Only 20 percent of website visitors read past the headline. Make it compelling.
Keywords help people find you. Once they’re at your site, it lets them know what you’re about and what you’re selling. Google analytics offers tips on how and where to use keywords—and how not to abuse them. Sites can be taken off their index for using too many, i.e. “packing keywords.” Remember that you’re also trying to convince visitors to become customers, so don’t list random keywords as a list. Work them so they’ll get you indexed but also flows naturally.
Images are attention-getters and important, but don’t forget to write relevant descriptions and add captions if applicable. “Alt tags” for all images help with searches (descriptions that are in the code but aren’t visible to the viewer). Work keywords into the text. Think of what words you would use if searching for your product or service and use them.
Add video. This ranks higher in Google searches than any other type of content. Visitors will also respond favorably to it.

Try out these steps and then use the analytics to see how it’s working for you. Now that Google is a verb, use their information to get optimal results. Who best to help than the one that’s at the top of its game?

Let us know what you think.