In this post, I’ll show you how to start blogging the right way — how to choose the right platform, hosting, and domain name.
How to Start Blogging the Right Way
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Writing
Slang and Jargon: Can You Use Them in Business Writing?
Should you use slang in business writing? The best answer is “it depends.” It depends on your audience, your brand, and other factors.
Why You Need a Brand Style Guide
Do you use a brand style guide for your written content? If so, good for you. If not, I hope by the time you finish this post you’re convinced to consider it.
Great Marketing Needs Excellent Writing
=There is nothing more pervasive in the world of marketing than writing. Your business needs a unique writing voice that represents your brand.
Commonly Misused Words
24 Words to Watch Out For These are the most commonly misused words I see online. This post is a quick guide to the correct usage* of these words. Now more than ever, how we speak, write, and express ourselves online is crucial. Good writing can make the difference...
Blogging for Business: What to Write About
How to Generate Blog Topics Your Readers Will Love If you're blogging for business, you know you need to write content on a consistent basis, but don’t we all get stumped from time to time? Sometimes it seems like the ideas just won’t come and if you’re on a deadline,...
Speaking: A Complete Guide to Rocking It
Speaking is one of my favorite parts of my job. I have almost no stage fright, in fact, I have fun in front of an audience and I try to make sure the audience does too. What I've learned is that it's important to be authentic and relaxed, to be yourself, and to care...
Small Business Marketing: Tell a Story
If small business marketing is your job, you must learn to tell a compelling story. Stories bring your copy to life. They make the difference between boring copy and words that mean something to the reader. Here’s an illustration of the power of story. I’m a fan of...
Grammar and Punctuation: Make a Great First Impression
You’ve just written a business report, blog post, news article, copy for your website or marketing piece, and you’re ready to hit Publish. But wait — are you sure your copy is error free? Every word you publish under your name or the name of your business...
How to Understand Your Customers and Increase Sales
If you'd like to increase sales, I have an exercise for you. I want you to begin to define your avatar(s). You may have more than one, in fact, you probably will. Wait - what’s an avatar? You may also have heard them referred to as personas. Same thing. You are...
Writing Tool: Expresso
Writing for the internet requires the ability to make a point quickly. Readers are busy and stressed, there is far too much noise online, and few of us have the time or inclination to read long blocks of text. [Tweet "The best online writing is tight, with no...
Editing is Important — Use the Right Words
I've always thought it would be fun to be a technical consultant on a hit TV show. Most shows have advisors of some sort; they are the physicians, attorneys, computer experts, or other professionals who teach actors to correctly pronounce long, complicated...
Copywriting for Your Website — Remember the Words
How's your website? When you think about the answer to that question, you're probably thinking about the look, the design, and the colors. But what about the words? The best-designed website is a waste of time and money if your copy doesn't tell the reader about your...
Facebook: It's Copywriting
If you own a business, or work for a nonprofit or church, it's likely you're an administrator for at least one Facebook page. As it's increasingly difficult for brands and organizations to get traction on Facebook without paying for ads, it's more important than ever...
Display Ads: 3 Quick Copywriting Tips
The other day I was stopped at an intersection behind this truck, with nothing to look at except a plate of yummy Memphis barbecue. I realized that this bit of display advertising and copywriting is an excellent example of how to do it right. The message at the top is...
How to Do the Internet in Style
The other day I outed myself on Instagram. As I do have a bit of pride, it took some guts for me to do it, and some might say it would have been better left unseen. I might agree, except that there's a point. In my own defense (and I realize I need one), I have a...
Dear Customer: You're Fat and You Stink. Please Buy From Us.
Email marketing can be an effective tool — sometimes. Anyone with an interest in email knows that a strong subject line is the key to getting your message opened. I’m not sure the subject line below is the best approach. Here’s how this recent email from AARP (Yeah, I...
20 Tips that Make Public Speaking Fun
I'm no Steve Jobs, but I've spoken at quite a few conferences and events, so I thought I'd share a few tips that help me avoid making a fool of myself. Here are 20 things I've learned about the art of public speaking. Organize your research. Gather ideas, quotes and...