Visualization: Make the elevator go up and down

Credit: Roy Luck

I learn by listening to others tell their stories. I learn a lot when people give details of their successes and failures. That saves me a few iterations and unhappy clients.

My local church networking group is struggling with providing the most valuable information for job seekers and networking business people. Introductory elevator speeches have become typical and almost have the opposite effect. I’m not learning anything new that I can share with others. We all get used to positioning our labels and revealing what others might want to hear or what might help us sell.

How about we add a gear to that short statement? “I’m a web project manager.” Now, instead of what I do, how about here’s what I’ve done. “This week I helped build a website that helps this client speak to these people. It has this one great feature. Google it, discover it and try it out.”

Give others something to do, something to imagine. Let them visualize what you do instead of trying to memorize your label.

Tags: LinkedIn, marketing, personal branding

Look for craggy rocks and cellar doors

Photo credit: Jellaluna

Always loved the quiet of cellar door. It’s a phrase that along with the proper typeface can fill a space on its own. I’m looking to fill less space in the coming year, to fine tune writing and curation.

We need to hear our own ideas and slowly roll them out. Let others scanning at a less-fevered pace enjoy, be inspired and springboard with their best return offering.

I’m full of the scandle whistle, full of the train-wreck pace of the presidential horse race, so full of television punditry, reality and commercial format. I’m looking for quarter notes, very high or low gears, a master’s stroke or gesture in slow-motion.

Looking for craggy rocks and cellar doors.

Tags: Flickr, writing

The power of storytelling: Try this one

A crystal clear picture of your storytelling goal is not complete without a sizzling sharp vision. Is it a plant opening or a story?

The workers watched the grainy footage of empty and stilted structures, litter swept streets and a broken and defeated populace sorting through recycle bins.

But on this day, they stood atop the clean, unbroken line of new equipment, haloed by bright lights and steady hum of power that equaled opportunity.

They were alive and plugged in to a new result. Each second that the hum continued was an eternity that soothed the struggle of the proceeding years. Each bright light gave a salute to their new lives. 

Storytelling (and social media) is about humans. It’s about emotional response. The good news about social media and storytelling is that it has made it possible for anyone to have a unique voice when telling their own story on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or blogs. Three paragraphs accomplished this in the above story.

A story is what defines your place as an individual in this world. It’s what sets you apart and makes you unique. This is no different when you are talking about telling a story about your business.

 

Tags: content strategies, writing

Build a better college newspaper website

Nationaal Archief

Here’s a checklist of online adjustments and guidance for a better college newspaper website. Change is difficult for newspapers. There are learning curves and time management issues in making these changes, but muscle up and get these done and get your dying newsprint a suitable online channel.

Content Management

• BBC headlines: Look to bbc.com for guidance on well done news content and presentation. These are excellent examples to follow of keyword forward, densely descriptive but brief headlines. Print headlines do not transition well to online. Snappy headlines that provide information scent (leading people via searches to information results).
• Direct me to useful information: Not everything is a news story or an enterprise piece. Create content that summarizes stories and group infographics, photos and video. Guide To, How-To, Complete List, etc. is content that people need, want and search for all the time. Anchor this evergreen content in a prominent place on your website and Facebook tabs.
• Make sure that your RSS feeds are useful. Find a setting in your website’s content management system that not only provides the RSS feed code but links it to the option to add to RSS readers. I’m probably not going to copy the code leave your site and add it to my reader as it is set up currently. Make it one click.
• Repurpose signed comments from users in a prominent place on the homepage. Anonymous doesn’t cut it. If someone is willing to sign a descriptive username then reward that user with a Comment of the Week feature (with crosslink to the original story). Crosslinks are key – outbound/inbound.
• PDFs of complete news product: Great (I guess), for a quick scan of the news product and display, but advertisers expect added value and should have a link from their ad. Help your advertisers out.
• All stories need images (entry points), calls to action (what do I do next?), and crosslinks and other info. Every URL shared on Twitter or Facebook is an introduction to your product. Why stop there?

Facebook for college newspapers

There is typically little engagement on college news Facebook pages. Readers comments on stories to no response. You will gain no value from social media unless you speak to followers. Engage.

Explain coverage: Demystify the news gathering process. Introduce your writers and editors and explain your operation. Tell your story about how you tell stories. This is a great recruiting tool and an opportunity to share with a wider audience.

Follow other people and fan pages: Try to use the @ symbol in all of your status posts. Put your idea and brand on other Facebook fan pages. The @College_Newspaper learned a lot from reporter @SusanMurphy’s visit to @BigUMedicalCenter and @BigUBusinessSchool. Look for stories in the next issue.

Shout out to your follows on the Facebook wall. Use the toggle as fan page administrator to post as both the admin and your personal profile to the your page’s wall. Note the support, interests of friends this way. @Jason Allen probably wasn’t happy with the result of this weekend’s @BigUFootball game, but we have the details on the upcoming game.

YouTube/LinkedIn for college newspapers

Don’t forget your other channels. Complete all profiles with full description and branding. Your YouTube channel needs custom background and profile, while your LinkedIn channel needs a custom profile image.

Twitter for college newspapers

Build source lists on Twitter. Sync your coverage, contacts and followers into your Twitter stream. Spend a little more time to build a better list of followers. Research keywords and geo references related to your university and rake in all sources connected to your university (and competitors, as well). Reporters can ask questions; propose story ideas and crowd source info. Twitter is a listening tool. Use it as a news gathering tool.

It’s expensive to produce that print product. Begin planning your escape plan immediately. Great usable, timely and authoritative information will never go out of style. Find new packaging.

Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, newspapers, Old media, Twitter, YouTube

4 reasons that make me open your email

We all want others to like us. People like us when we provide something useful and something unique.

Most people have an average of 3.1 email accounts (2.9 billion email accounts worldwide) so you are probably part of the group that sends out 188 billion messages each day.

Each day we’re subjected to a firehose of information, but what people really want is content that is clear, concise and delivers value. Since email is the primary touchpoint for most people each day make yours more effective.

Don’t make readers struggle through dense, cluttered and unorganized writing. Users can delete or ignore your email exactly like search mode when users click the back button. Every reader who comes across new email content asks these questions:

• Can this information solve a problem or answer a question for me?
• Is this information good enough to share with others?
• Can I quickly understand, react and process this request?

4 keys to email

Regardless of your desired outcome each of these email messages must have:

• Clear, accurate and “non-spammy” subject line: Most mail servers use third party software to scan the subject lines. Make certain that your subject line accurately describes the content.
• Summary message: Email is not long-form. Resist the urge to produce every detail. Keep your message short and on-point. In fact, repeat and boldface the subject in the first line.
• Complete email signature: Add appropriate URLs for your website, blog, portfolio or product. Verify that the links are functional so that the reader can connect to you in one click.
• Clear formats and fonts: Use standard capitalization and spelling; avoid odd typefaces; use 10 or 12 point text (Arial, Verdana and Tahoma are solid, easy-to-read fonts).

Email Subject Lines: Your starting point

Don’t begin with odd, cheesy or spammy phrases. These will invariably result in your email being ignored. Keep your subject lines simple and to the point.

MailChimp prepared a study that analyzed the open rates for over 200 million emails. Open rates ranged from 93% to 0.5%. Personal messages top interest, followed by affiliations and timely news. Stale newsletters, requests for money and offers too good to be true bring up the rear.

• Avoid these words: Help, Percent off, Reminder and Free. Trigger spam filters.
• Be Local: Personalization, such as including a recipient’s first name or last name, doesn’t significantly improve open rates. Providing localization, such as including a city name, does help.
• Newsletters: Newsletters tend to start with high open rates, but all experience some reduction in time. The challenge to the newsletter writer is to keep the content fresh. Repeating the same subject line for each newsletter accelerates the drop in open rates.
• Subject Line Length: The general rule of thumb in email marketing is to keep your subject line to 50 characters or less.
• Promotional Emails: Keep the message straightforward and avoid using splashy promotional phrases, CAPS, or exclamation marks in your subject lines. Subject lines framed as questions can often perform better.

Summary: Be consistent and build all your digital copy for maximum readability and usability. Start with email.

Tags: Email, usability, writing

Toledo Blade circulation figures pick up . . . not really

Howdy neighbor

Thanks for leaving your newspaper (the Toledo Blade) on the end of my driveway for the past 12 weeks. I’ve enjoyed running over it, then retrieving the ripped bag and depositing it in my trashcan.

Hope tossing it in my driveway helped your sagging circulation figures. I know it’s tough to pretend to advertisers that you are circulating over 100,000 papers (when it’s probably considerably fewer).

Now you’re “pleased to inform me” that I get to repeat this routine  for “another 12 weeks.” Twelve additional weeks of a “Pulitzer Prize winning Blade” at no cost to me? Serve yourself. Cut those trees down, I’ll keep recycling them along with all the direct mail and pitch cards that your brother-in-arms the U.S. Postal Service keeps delivering (probably shouldn’t have repaired the mailbox after that driver KO’d it during a January ice storm).

Finally, the punchline: if I wish “not” to participate in the program then I have to call the Blade’s Customer Service Department (419-724-6300) – as if someone would actually answer!

Nope, you do what you need to do and I’ll keep updating the locals on your awesome circulation strategy.  Hope this internet fad thing tapers out and you can get back to cranking out high-quality, objective journalism.

Have a great day!

Tags: newspapers, Old media

Sorry Jake: Crowd sourcing on Twitter is zippy

ABC News’ Jake Tapper reported this conversation between a farmer and President Obama regarding new EPA directives on dust pollution.

Who needs a production staff when you have plenty of people in your audience to answer questions on Twitter?

ABC News’ Jake Tapper reported this conversation between a farmer and President Obama regarding new EPA directives on dust pollution. A helpful Twitterer supplied key detail within an hour.

Mark Hemingway – @Heminator – delivered this article with a link to a letter to the EPA signed by 21 senators shortly after the initial tweet by ABC News. Hattip to original sources Ace of Spades and Slublog to highlight this exchange.

Not sure if ABC News appreciates the speed and customization of their news product by tribes of eager news gatherers, but editors on now on notice. Deliver all the details or have others do your job.

Tags: crowd sourcing, Old media, Twitter

Let’s be real here: Google Plus asks for ID

Google Plus has just launched and already a Google crackdown. If you want to connect with Google Plus, the search giant declares it important that you use your common name.

Your common name is the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, any of these would be acceptable.

Unable to complete the Google Plus sign-up flow, or your profile was suspended for a name-related issue? You’ve got some guideline reading to do.

We like Google Plus and its circles. The circles are closer to that way our actual social circles are made up compared to the free-for-all on Facebook. Fantasy footballers stay away from tech networks, and business networks are separate and distinguishable from church and school groups.

Besides Circles here are the other highlights if you haven’t sign up for the Beta of Google Plus yet:

• Sparks is Google Plus’ topic feed. You add topics that you’re interested in, and Google Plus will notify you when items about those topics arrive.
• Huddle: Huddle allowing you to talk with a circle all at once.
• Hangouts: A web-based group video chat which allows you to jump in and out of conversation events at will.

If your profile is suspended for not using a common name, you’ll be shut out of other Google services like Buzz, Reader and Picasa. Don’t like the name policy? Google suggests you make a copy of your Google+ data first and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. But we think it’s worth it for the clutter-free conversation.

Tags: Google, Google Plus