Recently, I’ve been researching influencer marketing for an article I am writing. It has become a massive business. What started as a way to leverage customer reviews and build social proof online has become a lucrative paid marketing tool. The total amount of money spent on influencer marketing this year is estimated at $16.4 billion…
A brand story is a cohesive narrative that incorporates the facts, characteristics, thoughts, and emotions created by your brand. Unlike copywriting, which is about showing and telling about your brand, a story inspires an emotional reaction because when done right, it places your customer in the center of the action. Stories are persuasive because we’re…
Planning for 2023 is well underway for most businesses, but I am just getting started. But, since I’ve decided to limit the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” mentality in my life, I’ve given myself some grace on the timing. My lateness is fine. I’ll catch up eventually. Anyway, I’ve started working on my 2023 content calendar for…
I am a content writer. I’ve written a lot of recent blogs and LinkedIn posts about what I mean by content, how it’s different from copywriting, and why content marketing is important for the success of any business. If you need more convincing, here are five very specific benefits of content marketing. Content Educates and…
If your brand is committed to content marketing, you need a content calendar. This valuable tool will help focus your marketing efforts. Without a calendar, you risk wasting your budget on ad campaigns that don’t address your goals or turning off potential leads with emails that don’t address their needs or concerns. A content calendar…
This is a blog I wrote two years ago about building brand awareness from the nonprofit perspective. I thought I’d repurpose it from a business perspective. Branding is important no matter the circumstances. The Internet is a noisy place. There are approximately 4.33 billion active Internet users around the world. These users visit the approximately…
I am a huge scaredy-cat so Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I can’t watch horror movies without having nightmares. In high school, I ran out of the movie Ghoulies and waited for my friends in the lobby for it to end. Forget about haunted houses! I’d be a wreak. But in the spirit of…
I’ve written a couple of blogs recently about brand voice and tone which got me thinking about some of my favorite Columbus brands that have a distinctive voice. So, I thought I’d share some examples here as an illustration of what a brand voice is and how important it can be to an overall brand.…
As I begin my fourth month of full-time freelancing, I am giving myself some grace in that I have not yet figured out my personal brand. I know how difficult it is to develop an organization’s brand and how long it can take (hello LSS, 4 years of my life!), but I still thought this…
A promise made must be a promise kept — Aristotle We make promises every day. We promise our landlord we’ll pay rent at the end of the month. We promise our relatives we’ll visit soon. We promise our kids they can have ice cream if they eat their broccoli. We even promise ourselves a reward…
