When Literary Agents Screw Up: 7 Ways That Things Can Go Wrong

 

We like agents. Like and respect them.

Their job is exceptionally demanding: nearly all reading work is done outside of office hours and since agents read a lot, that means they’re working late pretty much every night.

And they take risks. When an agent takes on a new writer, they’re committing upfront to a lot of work which will only be repaid if the agent is correct that the writer’s manuscript is or becomes saleable, with the agent’s help.

Given how fierce the competition is, it’s impressive that agents have the confidence and commitment to keep fishing from the slushpile – yet fish they do.

What’s more, an agent’s skills are very varied. Literary excellence lies at the heart of things, of course, but they need to be as pushy as car salesmen when it comes to auctioning a manuscript, as tough as lawyers when it comes to negotiating a contract, as silky smooth as a diplomat when it comes to smoothing ructions between authors and publishers and, of course, a good agent always has a firm strategic overview of their client’s career development.

So – we repeat – we like and respect agents in general, but there are always exceptions. Agents who are no good, or decent agents who mess up now and again. We’re not going to name names in this post but there are patterns that do recur and which really, really shouldn’t.

#1 The three-year-old good-bye

Sometimes, things don’t work out. That’s fine. An agent takes on an author. Tries to sell the manuscript. Can’t. Hates the second MS that the author produces. Decides that enough is enough. That story – or variants on it – are common enough. And that’s okay. Picking manuscripts from the slushpile IS a chancy business and agents can’t get it right all the time.

But it matters how an agent breaks the news. A professional client phones the author and says, ‘Look, I loved your first MS and made an honest effort to sell it. I didn’t succeed. In all honesty, I don’t like this second MS and I’m not sure that I’m still the right agent for you. I wish you the very best of luck in your future career, but I think we need to part company.’

Obviously no author loves that. On the contrary, any normal author will obviously feel upset and alarmed. But at least the conversation is direct, truthful and non-accusatory. It is, in fact, a professional way to break bad news. What we hate – and what is far, far too common – is that agents break the bad news in incredibly bad and stupid ways. The classic version of this is that the author emails the agent.

No answer.

Politely reminds the agent that he/she had a question, and asks for a response.

No answer.

Repeats the reminder, pointing out (still politely) that the question is (a) important and (b) still unanswered.

At which point the agent tantrums back, ‘Well, if you keep hounding me like that, I think it’s pretty clear you no longer trust me as an agent, and without trust, what are we? GOODBYE!’ [And slams phone down, forever.]

That’s not okay. It’s just not how any professional behaves ever. Yet we do hear stories along those lines at least once a month, and involving numerous agents, some of whom work at very well known and prestigious agencies. For sure, sometimes the author in question has been too pushy, or even crass, in demanding excessive amounts of the agent’s time. But not always. Sometimes the agent has simply failed to deliver bad news in a professional way. That’s not fine.

How often does this happen? Often. It’s the complaint we hear most frequently.
How bad is it? 3/5 bad, where 5 is worst

#2 Agents don’t communicate key info

Agents are agents. You – the writer – are the principal. That means that while your agent may execute business on your behalf, they are only ever a proxy for you.

And obviously, you’re nicely brought up and you won’t ask stupid, excessive or intrusive questions. But you do, for example, have a perfect right to know things like this:

– how many publishers have seen my work?
– which editors at those publishers did you send it to?
– why – briefly – did you choose those editors/publishers?
– what (roughly, and maintaining any necessary confidences) did those editors say in response?

It’s YOUR work and you have every right to know those answers. Indeed, you shouldn’t really need to ask those questions: it should be completely routine for agents to discuss those things with you. You may, of course, choose to say, ‘Look, you know this area vastly better than I do. I trust your judgement, just go out there and do what you can.’ But if you ask the questions mentioned – or others of equal significance – then you should damn well get answers. Yet some agents are feeble about giving answers. Again, not okay.

How common? Fairly common – much more so than it should be.
How bad? 4/5

#3: Agents don’t guide you through the publication process

You’re an industry newbie. Your agent isn’t. So a non-negotiable part of their job is to hold your hand in your journey to publication. That doesn’t mean you get to talk over every tiny detail with them: agents have limited time and you need to be sober about how much time and attention you (and your particular project) can demand.

That said, we recently heard about an author who had never been to a meeting with their publisher, and hadn’t even seen their book cover prior to publication. That’s appalling behaviour by the publisher, of course, but an agent should not have allowed that to happen. It’s not okay. Ever. Under any circumstances.

How common? Very rare, fortunately.
How bad? 5/5

#4: Not properly considering an author’s priorities at auction

What does an author want from a book deal? Well, publication certainly. Money, yes. But what else? Might you want a prestigious publisher? Or an editor with whom you have excellent personal chemistry. Or one who has a more holistic and flexible view of your likely career path than another.

In short, you may have numerous motivations, only one of which is cash. And your agent has to respect that. He or she needs to get the best available offers, then lay them in front of you and ask: which is it to be? Obviously you’ll rely on your agent’s intelligence and advice in making that choice. You’ll want to meet, or at least speak to, your putative editor. Then you’ll make your decision taking everything into account, not just the money.

Most agents we know will totally respect this. Indeed, if you probed them about it, they’d suggest – rightly, in our view – that if Publisher A offers 10% less cash than Publisher B, but is a better fit in all other respects, that ‘lower’ offer would prove more lucrative in the long run, as your career prospects will be better. So most agents will respect your non-financial motivations and will work hard to find the right fit as well as the right cash.

But not all agents. Again, we heard about one agent recently who boasted to a senior publisher that she never allowed her clients to take anything but the highest advance. She made that seem like a feat of machismo, of negotiating prowess. But that’s bullshit. It’s terrible agenting and it betrays the client. It shouldn’t happen.

How often? Hard to know. We think rare, but we could be wrong.
How bad? 2/5

#5 Talking crap in public

Most agents we know are open, approachable and warmly encouraging of new talent. That extends even to those senior agents who, realistically, aren’t going to get most of their new clients from the slushpile. But even those guys know that some of the biggest stars on their roster started out as total unknowns, and they respect the huge community of unknown writers toiling away out there.

But.

There are also agents who – in public, and to audiences containing wannabe authors – speak incredibly disdainfully of unpublished authors. When agents do that, it’s incredibly corrosive. The stories instantly spread on the internet and a false, but highly destructive, meme gets spread that agents hate writers. That the industry is snobby and exclusive. That agents are always secretly laughing behind the backs of the as-yet-unpublished.

Our Festival of Writing is a place for agents to meet writers, offer feedback on work, mix and mingle, answer questions. That helpfulness, that warmth is the real truth about agenting, but one snobby and stupid comment can destroy those good impressions in a moment. We don’t like those attitudes and we wish they would vanish.

How often? Rare, it just gets highly reported.
How bad? 1/5 [it’s normally only a moment of stupidity]

#6 Consorting with muggers

Some agents have ties with vanity publishers – the old-fashioned sort who demand stupid money upfront for a product that they know damn well will never sell in any meaningful quantity.

We have no problem with self-publishing per se, but for almost all purposes these days the natural entry route is e-publishing. That’s cheap (or even free) and reaches a massive audience. The idea that agents, of all people, should be inviting writers to hook up with vanity publishers is simply disgraceful, yet we know at least one agent who has a habit of doing just that.

How common? Not too common, thankfully.
How bad? 5/5 This behaviour is utterly unethical in our view.

#7 Charging reading fees

No literary agency should ever charge you to read your book, to send it out to publishers, or levy any other compulsory upfront fee. This matters because agents are kept honest by having to work on commission. If they think your book isn’t going to make it with publishers, they won’t make money from it, so they will politely reject your work. If they could make a few bucks just by stringing you along, then unscrupulous ‘agents’ would no doubt do just that.

Luckily, the practice of charging reading fees is exceptionally uncommon these days. We can think of one US-based scammer and two UK-based ‘agencies’ operating like this in the last ten years. And fortunately, the agent-as-scam business model doesn’t work: the scammers always go broke.

How often? Very rare.
How bad? 4/5

Oh, and we know we promised you seven ways that agents can fail, but here’s one last one: a bonus to you for reading so far.

#8 Agents demand exclusivity and then never do anything

Sometimes agents demand your manuscript in a burst of excitement, ask exclusivity as they read it, and then, nothing. Nothing at all. An echoing void.

There’s probably not much more to that behaviour than poor time management, but it can really mess up your life. The good news here is that you don’t have to let it. First, you should never offer exclusivity for more than a week. Secondly, we’d gently suggest that you don’t offer exclusivity at all. If an agent wants your work, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t compete for it. (It’s different if an agent is working on a set of suggested editorial notes: then it IS reasonable for them to ask for something in exchange, like exclusivity.)

And if you feel you’re being ignored, then don’t do nothing. After a couple of weeks has gone by, just drop a simple note that says you want to go on seeking representation and, while you’d warmly welcome that agent’s involvement, you will be going out to other parties as from Monday, or whenever. Don’t pick a fight. Just make it clear that this pause is not forever. Any half-decent agent will totally respect your right to do that, so don’t be afraid to do so.

How common? Yep, pretty common, we’re sorry to say.
How bad? 1/5 – you can always just walk away

Culled from Jericho Writers

Writing Tips: How To Create More Conflict In Your Story

 

Conflict in your story has to be an emotional ride for your readers. Conflict keeps your readers engaged and turning the pages. You may know this, but you’re still wondering how to implement the information.

What is conflict? A conflict in a story is a problem the main character needs to solve to achieve their goal. Without conflict, there is no story and no character development.

Conflict and high stakes relate to one another. If the character doesn’t resolve the conflict, what is at stake? What would your character lose? This is the question you should ask yourself when you’re thinking about the conflict in your story.

Stakes are essential in a story because it keeps the plot moving, challenges your character, and keeps readers turning the pages. Without stakes your plot will become flat, the pacing of your story will slow down, and the conflict will be non-existent.

Now, with deciding what your story stakes will be, it is important not to overdo it. When the stakes are too high, you risk your plot becoming unbelievable and comical.

To keep your readers engaged in your story, tone it down. Use the pull-back method. If your stake is over the top, write it down anyway. After reading it pull back 30-25% and write it again. This method will help keep your stake high but also prevent your story from being overly dramatic.

There is another concept for conflict, and that concept is death.

Why is death a great concept for conflict and high stakes? Because nobody wants to die. The ultimate fear in our society is death.

We know our time in life is limited and we don’t know when we will die, so we try to live our best lives every day. When something or someone threatens that hope, we try everything we can to prevent that from happening.

Physical death is obvious. It is the death we are all familiar with, but today I will introduce four types of death you can use when you sit down to write your story again. They are professional death, psychological death, social death, and ego death.

1. Professional Death

Professional death is when your lead character’s career or life purpose is at stake. In our society as children, they often ask us, “who do you want to be when you grow up?” Or “What do you like to do?”

There is a saying, I’m sure you’re familiar with: Life is not worth living if you’re not doing what you’re passionate about. Being fulfilled and living your life’s purpose is important in our world. There are claims having a purpose or doing the line of work you love prolongs your life.

Example: Let’s say a detective who's sober for many years has lost his daughter. He has broken his sobriety and is under the influence at his job. His boss has given him a warning he will fire him if he doesn’t get it together.

Your character loves being a detective, but he is going through a hard time. He doesn’t want to do anything else in life. His boss hands him a case giving him one last chance to prove himself; a murder that may link to his daughter’s disappearance. He takes up this case hoping that it will save his job and give him closure in life. If he does not solve this case, he can lose his job and career and when you lose something you enjoy it can feel like death its self.

2. Psychological Death

Psychological death is when a part of your lead character will die if they don’t win the conflict. The most common one is love. This death plays on the emotions of your readers.

With love stories, you know at the end of the story the two characters will be together. During the story, to keep your readers turning the pages, create an illusion of your character experiencing psychological death throughout the book.

To achieve this create obstacles and complications that would keep your lead character from getting their true love.

Psychological death applies not only to love. It could be anything that your lead character believes they can‘t live without and holds your character together. Another example, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye is trying to remain authentic in his life and believes if he doesn’t he will die.

3. Social Death

Social death refers to the condition of people not accepted as fully human by broader society. Diverse scholars applied the expression to describe racial slavery, political economy, and other examples of social ordering.

A loss of social identity, a loss of social connectedness, and losses associated with the disintegration of the body.

Social death is when a group of people have their identities taken away and forced to assume a new more degrading identity. The person being ostracized will adopt the new identity and believe who they are and they deserve to be getting the treatment they’re getting. They will blame themselves why they’re ostracized.

Example: You can have your main character be part of an ostracized group in your story. With their new identity living everyday life living less like a human. Then your character realizes that this isn’t who they are, and they used to be somebody, and the way he and his people are living isn’t right.

First, your main character will have to reject the conditioning the people in power gave to him and adopt a new identity. This will show internal conflict, then he would have to convince his own people of his revelation. Some people will follow and some wouldn’t.

Then he will have to face the conflict with the people in power who don’t want your main character to fight back but want to keep things the way they are. With the example of social death, there is conflict coming from all sides.

4. Ego Death

Ego death is a loss of subjective self-identity. It is a term with significant ties to spirituality, mythology, and mysticism.

Ego death is a symbolic transition that results in a person being spiritually awakened.

The ego is our identity which we have created for ourselves. The ego is made up beliefs of ourselves like our personality, talents, and skills. When we form thoughts about ourselves that we agree with we form a self-image which contributes to the ego.

Ego death is where you have a dissociative experience of self. Everything you’ve identified with fades and a person panics and tries to hold on to these beliefs because without them they would cease to exist.

Example: There are ways to create conflict with the concept of Ego death. You can create a lead character that has everything he/she wants in life, but then realize their self-identity is a false illusion. Now your character doesn’t know what to do with themselves and wants to find answers.

The character is experiencing conflict because everything they once knew and believed can’t be trusted. You can go further and brainstorm how this new realization creates conflict with your character’s family, friends, job, and environment. How does your character resolve the conflicts?

Culled from The Creative Penn

What You Can Learn from Web Analytics

 

Most companies invest a lot of money in the design (or redesign) of their websites — and the sites are usually expected to perform a significant business function that justifies their cost — and even their existence. Therefore, no site is really complete until you’ve added some sort of tracking code. Generally, these codes get integrated into the HTML pages right before launch; fortunately, they’re an easy addition.

Tracking systems allow you to see not only where users are coming from geographically (which is always interesting), but also can tell you what kind of browsers and computer systems they are using, and what pages users spend most of their time on. This is important information for user interface design decisions. For example, if the site analytics show that there is a significant drop off on the payment confirmation page, you may have a design problem that is adversely affecting sales conversions. By looking at the site analytics on a regular basis, you can spot trends and be better informed about where to invest in site upgrades.

Using Google Analytics

Far and away the best free web-analytics package is Google Analytics. To get started, you simply sign up for a Google Analytics account — then you copy and paste the JavaScript code that Google provides into every one of your site’s pages that you want to track. What’s nice about Google Analytics is that if you’re using Google AdWords — Google’s keyword-purchasing advertising program — the analytics reports (like the one in the following figure) include information on how well your keywords are performing. The reports can be saved as PDF files and e-mailed out to your team members.

This sample PDF report dashboard for Google Analytics shows an overview of the things you can track, such as where your site traffic is coming from.

What Google Analytics can show you about your site

What exactly does Google Analytics track about each page of your site and how is it useful? Here is a handy reference with an explanation of each item.

• Traffic sources. For a given time range that you can set, Google breaks down where your web traffic comes from. Organic traffic means that someone found you via a search (whether through Yahoo!, Google, Bing or other search engines). Direct traffic means people entered your URL. Referral traffic shows you what sites are linking to you and what page they are linking to. This data is good to know when contemplating an online marketing strategy. If you see that the bulk of your traffic comes from (say) YouTube referrals, you may decide to focus your marketing there.

• Browsers, platforms, and screen resolutions. Of particular interest is Google’s information on what browsers people are using to view your site, which platform (Mac, Windows, or mobile) they’re using, and what screen sizes they have. This is invaluable data when it comes to optimizing your site to perform well and look good because you know what browser and screen sizes to give the highest priority as marketing targets.

   

• Top pages. Interestingly, your home page is not always the first page — nor the most visited page — of your website. Often an internal page is leaps and bounds ahead of other pages. It’s always interesting to look at these top pages and understand what may be driving so much relative interest. Additionally, you can view your top pages by country (what countries are visiting those top pages).

• Demographics. Google lets you see what countries (and even what cities) people are from that are visiting your site. Clearly, this is useful data because it lets you know where you might target offline advertising efforts.

  

  Google tells you what your top (most-visited) pages are and who’s visiting them.
  

  A map view shows you what countries and cities your visitors are coming from.
   
   
   
  Culled from Dummies

5 Benefits of Personal Branding for Authors

 

When I was growing up, my grandfather used to say, “Get an education because once you have it, no one can take it away from you.” I feel the same way about authors and their personal brands. As authors, once you build and establish your personal brand, no one can take it away from you.

For some authors, the idea of a personal brand is uncomfortable. Some tell me that they don’t want to “be a brand.” Building a brand doesn’t have to be scary. Branding is simply sharing your stories and expertise while building trust — that’s all it is — and it’s so important in today’s market.

Fair warning though, branding is not something you do for a few weeks before your book comes out. Many people, including myself, did not see the benefits of investing time and energy into a branding strategy for 18 months to two years. So if you want to take more control of your writing career, then get serious about your personal branding strategy. Here are five benefits that make it worth your time:

1. Show Your Uniqueness. Investing time and effort in your personal brand is crucial to your success as an author. If you are asking, “What’s in it for me,” you should know the most important element of a personal brand is that it helps you be yourself, stand out from the crowd and carve out your niche. After all, there is no competition for you. Your brand is the essence of who you are. There’s a huge difference from an author who has worked to develop a strong personal brand versus an author who hasn’t invested any resources in developing an online presence. Consider your brand as your digital reputation, resume, platform and an extension of your business card. Your personal brand will make you more valuable to publishers and agents. Together your book and your brand are credibility builders and door openers.

2. Control the Perception. Branding is about how you are perceived in the market, and today you have control over that perception. Personal brand management is about cultivating the pieces that tell your story. You build your reputation with your willingness to share your knowledge and expertise. In today’s socially connected world, our reputations have become global, making our brand more important than ever. Social media has given us an opportunity like never before to communicate with others and shape personal brands with a myriad of online tools. You can proactively build, maintain and protect your good name in the public eye by authentically investing in your brand.

3. Build a Following. Each social media outlet offers you the opportunity to build a following by generously sharing your time. With focused effort, a plan and allotted time, you can become known as an expert in your industry. Before putting in your time though, make sure you take time to think of the goals.

4. Leverage your brand. When you invest time in building your personal brand, you can leverage it to get more online reviews, write and publish other books, secure speaking engagements and build your business. Your book and your brand can be the gateway for other entrepreneurial pursuits, books, services and revenue streams. Look at leveraging your brand as an opportunity builder.

5. Learn From Your Readers. Branding helps your readers and potential readers to understand who you are and what your value proposition is so they can make an informed buying decision. As you build a following, you will be creating your ideal audience — readers interested in what you have to say and interested in buying from you. You in turn can learn about them, about what they like and need. Online branding is building a relationship based on trust and common interests. Done correctly, you’ll get as much out of it as you put into it.

Your brand is the story of your career. It may take time and money and effort to cultivate but once you establish it no one can take it away from you. Here’s a blog on developing your digital marketing blueprint to get you started.

Culled from Huff Post

How to Find Your Distinct Niche As a Writer

 

In a world filled with a million and one people who can properly carve out their thoughts and turn them into words, it is important to make a difference.

When it comes to themes and topics, there are two types of writers: the generalists, who write on a variety of themes and topics; and the specialists, who write on related/similar themes and topics.

As a writer, you can choose to be any of these, depending on how vast your thoughts are. However, if you choose to be a specialist – that is, finding a distinct niche for yourself – this article will be of great help to you.

Many people believe that specialisation limits you. On the contrary, it frees you.

Focusing on a distinct theme when writing gives you the room to improve your knowledge about that theme/topic. In that process, you gain expertise. Expertise births quality content and allows you to explore every angle of your chosen field.

Focusing on a specific niche is proof that you have extensive knowledge about that topic. For instance, if Asa has a blog where she writes about everything and anything, ranging from food, clothes, finance, travels and more while Meyimi has a blog where she focuses on financial tips for everyone and anyone, who would you approach for financial advice? Meyimi, obviously! Why? Because you would feel that she has more knowledge on the topic of finance since that is what she focuses on.

If you decide to specialise, finding your distinct niche is the first step to take. Here are some essential tips that will guide you in finding your niche.

 

Essential Tips for Choosing the Right Niche

 

1. Find out what you enjoy writing or reading: What are the topics that you could write, talk or read about all day? What are those areas you have numerous opinions about? These would help you through the process of selecting your focus niche.
2. Find out what you are good at or are interested in getting better at: Your love for something does not equate to your ability to do it well. You might enjoy cooking but not make tasty meals. This also applies to writing. For instance, I enjoy writing about politics in Nigeria because I enjoy criticising politicians and stating my solutions to political and economic problems. However, I am not so great at it. To find your niche, it is important to consider a topic that not only interests you, but that you are very good at, or at least, you are interested in getting better at.
3. Be consistent: In situations where your interest is different from what you are good at, you can practise writing the things that interest you more often. This consistency will help you get better. As popularly said, “practice makes perfect".
4. Explore several niches: If you are a new writer and are finding it difficult to figure out what you enjoy writing, you might try exploring a variety of themes. That is, you could try to be a generalist for a while. Explore writing different topics, then create a pro and cons list for each field. This list would help you find that area that would then become your niche.
5. Focus on your audience: Many people are of the opinion that people’s opinions do not matter. This is the case if such opinions are in relation to your personal life. However, if your written pieces are for the public's consumption, their opinions matter as well.

Taking your audience’s thoughts about your pieces into consideration would help you easily find your “not cliché" niche. Which of your pieces do they enjoy reading the most? What topics do your readers engage with most? What themes do they think you write intelligently on? However, if their thoughts and opinions are not in line with what you enjoy writing about, you could tailor their opinions to what you enjoy. For instance, if you enjoy writing about food and your audience think you do better with your episodes on politics, you could use different food types to metaphorically describe politicians. Doing this could help in setting you apart from other writers.

It is important and professional to have a niche; it allows you knit your wide range of ideas into one and gives room for creativity. Every topic has different aspects and sides to it, and it is advisable as a writer to explore all these aspects.

 

The Dark Side Of Marketing: How Adverts Destroy Businesses

 

Companies focus on the pros of marketing. With the right amount of investment and the correct target audience, you can increase traffic one hundred percent. This will lead to better lead generation and a boost in sales and profits. Usually, this is how bosses think when they consider advertising, but the cons go under the radar.

Yes, being witty and creative and unique can raise brand awareness; however, there is a dark side to the industry which turns off customers. Slip into this category and the firm’s reputation may take a hit from which it can’t come back.

Here’s how adverts destroy businesses and the solutions.

Too Annoying

In the past, shoppers used to have to walk past billboards and fliers before they saw a company’s message. Even if they were everywhere, they were unobtrusive because the advertising was passive. You saw it, but you never had to engage. Today is different thanks to the internet. Now, one click can result in endless pop-up ads which relate to nothing whatsoever. The result is an annoyed and frustrated shopper that would rather leave than continue with the experience.

The solution is simple: think before you accept advertisements. If it’s vital for monetary reasons, then keep it to space on the pages. Avoid pop-ups at all costs.

Not Trustworthy

There are millions of adverts on the Worldwide Web, and all of them look the same. So, it’s difficult to tell which are real and which ones are fakes. As a result, online consumers avoid them like the plague because the risk isn’t worth the reward. Sure, they may get 10% off their next order, but they may give a hacker access to their bank account.

One way to attract attention while being trustworthy is through SEO. www.vistacomm.com shows that shoppers are more likely to click-through on a search engine rather than an ad. So, pleasing Google can lead to a better conversion rate.

They’re Plain Bad

Ads are annoying, but only if they’re bad. It turns out customers don’t have them equally; just the ones which waste their time. www.vieodesign.com puts this into perspective by saying 91% of people are bothered by intrusive ads, 87% by too many of them, and 79% by trackers. However, none of the samples were bothered if the quality was high because it added value.

The obvious thing to do is make sure the marketing effort correlates with the audience beforehand. To do this, set up a focus group and ask for feedback.

Misleading

Also known as click-bait, it’s when a title refers to a search term but redirects them to a different page. As soon as they land and read a few sentences, people tend to bounce. Okay, the traffic rate is high but the conversion rate is way down, and that’s what counts. 15% of all ads trick people into clicking so you can imagine a person’s frustration.

As tempting as it is, you have to avoid clickbait. Be real and genuine because that’s what counts.

Wouldn’t that get you to click on something if the shoe was on the other foot?

 

Do you and your business need help marketing the right way? Contact TRW Consult here.

 

Culled from Open Business Council

5 Things Every Author Needs to Know about Book Cover Designs

 

Even though people are always told not to judge a book by its cover, the truth is most people still do - which is why authors must pay extra attention to their book cover before the book gets published. So, below are 5 things every author must know about book cover design before publishing:

1. It needs to have the right thumbnail size: In this case, if your book is going to be published online, like on Amazon, Iwe, Smashwords or Kobo, you need to know the exact thumbnail size of the site, and tailor your book cover size to suit it; that way, the book title and other relevant details would be visible.
2. Don’t be too literal: It is advisable to either state the title or use an interesting concept as an image; or use an image that depicts the book, but with a different title. For instance, if the title of your book is “Umbrella”, don’t use an Umbrella as the book cover’s image; it will come across to your readers as being too boring.
3. Avoid being too sentimental: Of course, once you have a book, it becomes yours and it is easy to attach feelings to it; but using the face of someone you know, like a relative or best friend, when it has absolutely nothing to do with the book, is not advisable.
4. Have a lot of design concepts to choose from: Ask your graphics designer to design three or more book covers for you and choose the one you think is best.
5. Ask for feedback: After you have decided on one, ask for feedback - from your friends, colleagues or even strangers to know their opinions of how the book looks, and if they would be eager to buy one if they see such a book cover. Also, don’t take feedback too personally; rather, use it as a means to get a winning design.

Asides from the tips listed above, always remember that your book cover should evoke an emotion that is part of the story your book tells, and have fun while choosing the book cover that best suit your needs.

An Editor's Guide to Writing Ridiculously Good Emails

 

There’s an epidemic out there—an epidemic of bad emails.

I really realized it after about the fifth time my boss commented on an email I sent her to look over: “That’s a really good email!” I hadn’t thought it was anything special, until I started to pay closer attention to the emails I was receiving. There were horrible grammar errors, embarrassing spelling mistakes, incorrect names, emoticons, lack of proper greetings or pleasantries, and plain old bad writing. I could go on and on.

It’s not that we’re incompetent, people. We’re just not putting the care into our emails that many of them deserve. The care, say, an editor might give an article.

So, to help us all improve our workplace communication, here is the editor’s guide to writing emails that will earn you respect (and responses). Keep these ideas in mind next time you’re going through your inbox—and see what an impact a few small changes have.

Slow Down

I know we’re all on a race to get to inbox zero. And sure, in some cases, firing off a quick email makes sense: when you’re in the middle of a long thread of communication with a close colleague, when you’re just firing off a document to your boss, and the like.

But, for the most part, effective communication (and good writing) takes time. It takes time to formulate your thoughts, to figure out what you’re actually trying to say, and to write your message out in a clear way. And ultimately, that’s what email is—a form of communication. Not a task.

So, next time you have to write a more in-depth email to someone, give it the time it deserves. Block it out on your calendar if you have to. And I’m not talking five minutes per email—it’s not unusual for me to spend upwards of 15 minutes on a good email, especially if it’s my first communication with someone I want to impress. Let yourself have that time, and don’t feel like you’re being slow or unproductive. Feel like you’re doing it right.

Make Sure it Has a Beginning, Middle, and End

Just because we live in a 140-character world, doesn’t mean your emails should be that way. In fact, we’re going to have a little throwback to high school English here and the classic hamburger-style essay; that is, every essay needs an intro, a body, and a conclusion.

You should think about your emails having the same structure. Each section doesn’t have to be long, but especially in initial communication, it should be there. So, what should each section include?

Intro

Always start with a greeting—it may feel archaic, but it really makes a difference. Then, depending on the nature of your relationship, the opening paragraph is a great place for a friendly greeting (“I hope your job search is going well!”), a reminder of the context of your conversation (“It was so nice getting to chat with you last week.”), or a preface about why you’re reaching out (“I wanted to touch base about…”).

Body

This is where you get to the crux of your email. The most important thing to remember here is to give your recipients all the information they need to take whatever action you’re asking of them. This includes giving any contextual information, details, or data that’s necessary, and presenting it in a logical, cohesive way. If the email is being sent to convey information or a decision (rather than ask a favor), make sure to include reasoning or explanation.

Conclusion

The conclusion of emails is a bit different than the conclusion of essays. Instead of summarizing what you already talked about, you should be wrapping it up with action steps. If you’re asking to meet for coffee, propose a date and time. If you’re getting input for a project, remind your colleague exactly what you need and when. And, if you’re just giving information, remind your contact that he or she is welcome to come to you with any questions. Finally, at least in your initial email, always close with a greeting and full signature.

It may seem like a lot, but as I said, it doesn’t have to be long. For example, this is an email I might send to someone I want to grab coffee with:

Hey Dave!

It's so nice to meet you! It was so great getting to chat with Alex, and when she mentioned she knew you I jumped on it. 

I love what you guys are doing at your company, and it would be awesome to chat with you about how you think about online publishing, your recent re-design, and other things about the work that we both spend our lives doing.

Do you think you'd have a bit of time in the coming weeks to meet up? I'd be happy to swing by your offices or grab coffee—whatever is most convenient for you!

Best, and happy Monday.

Erin

So much better than, "Hey Dave, want to grab coffee sometime?" right?

Proofread and Fact Check

Once you’re done typing your email, you shouldn’t just send it off into the world. Always re-read your emails, at least once. Besides just checking for basic spelling and grammar mistakes, you’re also fact-checking things like name spellings, events you refer to, or dates you mention. Addressing an email “Hey Jon,” when it should be “Hey John,” might seem like a small thing, but your contact will notice—and first impressions make a huge difference.

This is also a good point to think about the tone of your email. Does it sound too business-like when you’re just trying to be friendly? Are you too enthusiastic with the exclamation points and emoticons at the expense of professionalism? Try to step back and consider how someone reading the email for the first time will react to it—and adjust accordingly. For particularly important emails, I also ask someone else to look it over for me—an extra set of editorial eyes has never hurt anyone.

 

Think How You Would Feel if it Went Public

Finally, before hitting send, think about how you would feel if this email was read by anyone but the person you’re sending it to. What if, somehow, it landed in your boss’ inbox? What if it got published on the web? (Hey, it happens.) This is a great final gut-check to make sure your emails sound respectful and professional and ultimately represent how you want to be portraying yourself to the world.

I know, it sounds like a lot of work to put into one email. But with the number of bad emails we all get every day, people really will notice the difference when a good one lands in their inbox. And that could be the difference between getting ignored and getting what you want.

Culled from The Muse

The Thin Line Between Branding and Marketing

 

Branding and marketing are two crucial words that are easily mixed up by non-industry professionals. Some have stopped trying to understand the difference between the words, and have instead settled for using them interchangeably. But there is a gulf of difference between the words, more than the thin line that the title of this article suggests. To make the terms clearer, some definitions may come in handy.

What is Branding?

Branding in its simplest form can mean a process that captures a company’s reputation in a few words. It could be a single word that gives personality to the company or that rekindles the unique attributes of the company whenever it is mentioned. When you mention a brand like Apple, it evokes certain images in the mind. The images of elite, class, chic and hip come to mind. These are attributes that sometimes make consumers of their products stand in line to buy their latest products, even at midnights, whenever there is a new release.
What is Marketing?
Marketing refers to the processes that deliver the message of the brand to consumers. While a brand remains the same, marketing evolves to deliver a brand’s core values. Marketing encompasses many activities; it deals with the advertisement, and it also tries to understand the consumer’s tastes so that it can utilize it to the brand’s benefit.

Where Branding Meets Marketing

Branding and Marketing both aim to achieve the same goal, that of communicating a unique identity to a target audience. In the process of marketing, branding is sometimes incorporated in order to win customer loyalty. On the other hand, the information gathered from the marketing process can be used in representing a brand in a certain light that appeals more to consumer’s taste.

Where Branding and Marketing Part Ways

Your branding strategy forms the bedrock of your marketing communications. Therefore, branding is strategic in that it doesn’t evolve as marketing is wont to do. Rather, it seeks to win and maintain customer loyalty on a long-term, and also counts on this to continue to thrive after marketing campaigns are over.
On the other hand, marketing is said to be tactical because it doesn’t seek to influence the consumer’s feelings towards the product on a long-term. Rather, marketing is more concerned about building awareness for the brand and not sustaining a brand loyalty. It marshals its points to convince the consumer and the campaign ends there.

Which One Should You Put Your Money into?

Branding has its own purpose, and so does marketing, and in relation to that specific purpose, they are great investments that can bring in returns. It is the knowledge of that purpose that prevents wastages. In order to carry out a successful marketing campaign to give your brand a boost, you need only the best marketing communications firm to handle your campaign. Look no further than TRW Consult, the award-winning marketing communications agency that can guarantee your brand a long-term relationship with customers. Call us now.

Why Every Consultant Needs to Write a Book

 

If you are like most consultants, you’ve thought about writing a book. You know intuitively that it will be valuable to your brand and your consulting career. Here are reasons why as a consultant, you should definitely write a book:

1. Your book is a marketing tool. A book can generate new business, close a pending deal, and remind previous clients that you are still available. Consider all the ways you can use your book to market your consulting. You can give it to contacts who will spread the word about you, your book, and your skills. You can send it to potential clients. You can send a copy to people you would like to meet or with whom you’d like to network or partner. A book can be a powerful tool to help open doors that may not have been within your reach in the past or close a deal that’s been hanging open for a while.
2. Your book helps you establish your expertise. You are probably already an expert in what you consult about, but a published book adds legitimacy to your career. When people see that you have a published book on bookshelves, they naturally assume that you are a top-notch authority—more brilliant than before you wrote your book. And actually you will be. When you write a book, you are forced to think more clearly and more deeply about your area of expertise. The content that readers can hold between the two covers in their hands boosts your credibility.
3. Your book can help you build your reputation and your brand. If you write a book about your consulting practice, it sets you apart from the rest. If given a choice of someone you would hire to solve your most pressing problem, whom would you choose? A published author or an unknown entity? Yep! Most people would choose the author. By writing about your models or the principles upon which your consulting practice is based, you help your clients and potential clients understand what you represent, what you value, and how you will be valuable to them. A book demonstrates the philosophy, skills, and tools you incorporate into your work better than any discussion can.
4. Your book can increase your name recognition. You will be viewed as a thought leader, and people will recognize your name and the name of your book. It raises both your profile and respect for your company. This can help when submitting proposals to speak at conferences or to keynote for corporate or association events. Your book generates attention, raises your visibility, and gives you multiple excuses for media coverage. A book can position you as the expert in your field.
5. Your book can help you make money. Don’t be fooled into thinking you will get rich from book sales. Almost no one does. However, your published book gives you and your consulting practice the legitimacy to increase your rates and an entrée to attract more work with less marketing investment. A book can help potential clients find you. When people look for experts, they often search for “who wrote the book on…?” Having a book helps people find you with their search. That’s one of the reasons selecting a title is extremely important. Remember, you will make more money through the business it generates than the sales it produces.

Culled from Business Writers Exchange

6 Secrets To Writing A Great Cover Letter

 

At best, a cover letter can help a job-seeker stand out from the pack. At worst, it can make a promising candidate seem like an uncreative cut-and-paster. Sadly, the vast majority of cover letters read essentially the same: Retreads of resumes that ramble on while repeating the obvious. Would you read one of these to the end if it were put in front of you? Probably not, and nor would most hiring managers.

Of course, the Internet is full of tips and tutorials on writing a cover letter, but few of them give much useful information other than the obvious ("Use good grammar!"). So I got to thinking about what cover letter tips and techniques have served me over the years. I came up with these six golden rules for writing a cover letter somebody will actually want to read.

1) Don't repeat your resume

A lot of people write cover letters as if they were paragraph-form resumes. Fact is, your letter will be stapled (or attached to the same email) as your actual resume, so you can assume that they'll at least glance at it (and probably with a keener eye than your cover letter). Instead, use your cover letter to show personality, curiosity, and an interest in the field you are applying to work in. My favorite pro tip: Google GOOG +0% around for the history of your field or company, and sprinkle some cool historical facts into your cover letter (or even use one as a lead). If I was applying for a job in tech, I might talk about how thrilling it was to see Moore's law transform technology before my eyes, and how thrilled I am to be a part of this transformation. If I were applying for a job in fashion, I might talk about how much fashion has changed since the 80s (a lot!). Everything has a hidden history. Use it to show expertise and interest.

2) Keep it short

Less. Is. More. Three paragraphs, tops. Half a page, tops. Skip lengthy exposition and jump right into something juicy.

3) Address Nobody

Sometimes, you don't know exactly who you should be addressing your letter to. Nix the generic and bland "Dear Hiring Manager" or "To Whom It May Concern". If you absolutely don't know who you should be addressing, then don't address anybody. Instead, just jump right into the body of the letter.

4) Send it as a PDF

Not every office computer can read .docx or .pages files, but virtually everybody can open a PDF file without any conversion. File conversions are bad for two huge reasons. First, they are just as likely to not bother and move on to the next applicant. And, second, conversions can introduce formatting errors. Both are bad. (Note: This story originally suggested .doc files. Definitely better than .docx, but, as the comments pointed out, PDF is surely better. It can't be easily tampered with, and you have more control over how it appears on somebody's screen.)

5) Never ever, ever use the following phrase

"My name is ___, and I am applying for the position as ____".They already know this, and you'll sound inexperienced.

6) Close strong

Finish off by quickly (and I mean quickly) explaining how your experience or worldview will help you at the job. That's key. That's the closer. And it can be done in one to two seconds. If it goes any longer, you're just rambling.

Culled from Forbes

7 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn From Politicians

If you happen to live in a state with hotly-contested races during elections, then it’s likely that no matter how hard you tried, you weren’t able to avoid being bombarded with non-stop nonsense from various contestants in the high-stakes game of running for political office.

On the positive side, here are seven marketing lessons we can learn from politicians.

1. If you use television advertising in your business, you may want to ramp it down or even suspend it altogether during the height of any political campaign, because stations routinely raise their rates during these times, to capitalize on the desperate spending of billions of dollars by various politicians and their supporters.
   
   
2. People are more motivated to take action (in this case, to vote) by fear of loss than by a possibility of gain. You don’t need me to point out all the overwhelming negativity in political advertising, as compared to the relatively small amount of positivity.
   
   
3. Political campaigns are all about one thing and one thing only: results. There’s no room in a political campaign for any nonsense like “awareness” or “getting your name out there.” Everything is geared to one purpose, and one purpose only: getting prospects to take the desired ACTION (vote). Business owners must think the same way, and focus on directing prospects to take a specific action whenever they do any marketing or advertising.
   
   
4. Because they are results-oriented, candidates always take a multi-media approach to marketing, using everything from radio and television to direct mail, email, social media, telemarketing and of course, extensive grassroots efforts. Small business owners often do the opposite — making the mistake of focusing on the cost of marketing instead of the results, and therefore often falling far short of their goals.
5. EVERYTHING is constantly tracked when it comes to political campaigns, so adjustments to strategy and tactics can be made. As a small business owner, you must track all of your marketing in detail, and constantly monitor your metrics so you can make changes and improvements based on what works and what doesn’t.
   
   
6. Politicians are fantastic at knowing everything they can about their “WHO” — their target audience — and putting together messaging precisely for them. The naysayers like to call it “pandering,” but in the super-high-stakes, results-oriented game of electoral politics, it’s very smart marketing to craft different messages to different audiences, looking for what is known as the right “message to market match.”
   
   
7. Politicians are excellent communicators. Many have Ivy League degrees, yet skillfully avoid being labeled “elitist” by speaking at a 6th- or 7th-grade reading level, which top copywriters know is the ideal reading level to shoot for to achieve maximum effectiveness in communication.

 

The last three U.S. Presidents are all masters of this skill. Who can forget Phi Beta Kappa/Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law School graduate Bill Clinton speaking in a southern drawl while professing a love of McDonald’s french fries, donuts and assorted other junk food, or George W. Bush being generally perceived as not bright despite earning a Yale degree and being the only President to earn an MBA (from Harvard Business School), or President Barack Obama routinely breaking into slang and “the language of the common man” despite his Columbia University and Harvard Law School degrees?

Of course these three presidents — and many, many other politicians — are all quite capable of speaking with big words and sounding like college professors, but they know better and almost naturally communicate at the coveted 6th- or 7th-grade reading level for maximum effectiveness.

Small business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals, of course, should aim to do the same.

We can all learn a lot more about marketing from politicians, of course, in addition to being thoroughly entertained by their no-holds-barred fights to the finish.

 

 

Culled from Huff Post

By The Book: Six Ways to Break into Publishing

 

Be personal when applying for work experience

If you’re looking to get experience in the industry, start by applying to publishers directly. “I recommend approaching smaller independent publishers too. They tend to receive fewer requests and the work experience process tends to be less informal,” says Harriet Birkinshaw, senior commissioning editor at Nobrow.

Literary agencies are also a great place to learn about the publishing business, adds Claire Palmer, an editor for HarperCollins. “Whatever you do, make sure that you’ve done your homework on the places you’re applying to – for example, if you know that non-fiction is your overriding passion, don’t apply to work somewhere that only deals in fiction.”

Richard Arcus, commissioning editor at Quercus Books, agrees that personalisation will help your request stand out. “There will be a number of equally passionate and intelligent people writing to those publishers at the same time, trying to get experience. So the less generic, and more tailored your approach, the more attractive this will be to publishers. For example, if you’re contacting the editor of a book that inspired you or really captured your imagination, then really sing about that in your message and show them that you’re contacting them for a specific reason.”

Is an English literature degree necessary?

The short answer is no, but a degree in any subject will help your applications. “Degrees are often useful – though Penguin Random House have dropped this as a requirement for their entry-level jobs – however degrees in English are not more sought after than any other,” says Edward Milford, development director of the Independent Publishers Guild.

Zara Markland, chair of the Society of Young Publishers, agrees that while a degree can make you a more appealing candidate to publishers, it needn’t be in literature. “Study the subject you want to learn more about, not the one you think you might need. I personally have never found any advantage to having an English degree. Instead, some dedication to publishing and your confidence and determination towards that would definitely put you in good stead.”

Many copywriting and proofreading roles are now freelance

“Publishers use both freelance and in-house copy-editors a lot, so if you’re interested in this work it’s worth checking the job-boards and also being on LinkedIn – publishers often look there,” says Spencer Williams, senior product manager at Pearson.

If you’re starting out as a freelance proofreader, consider joining the Society of Freelance Editors and Proofreaders and look into proofreading training courses that both they and the Publishing Training Centre run, adds Milford.

Be open-minded to other areas of publishing

Editorial is the most sought after area of publishing to work in, but working in other departments can be equally fulfilling. “Always be open-minded to the other areas of publishing,” says Birkinshaw.

Don’t forget that rights, sales, design, marketing, and audio all play huge roles in the publication of books, says Martha Ashby, commercial fiction editor at HarperCollins. “Find an author you love and research their team – who designs their books, who does their PR, who is their agent. And, without sounding creepy, do some online stalking and then politely send some enquiries out to different areas of publishing.”

Be passionate and persistent

Publishing can be a competitive industry to break into, and “with publishing, persistence often wins”, says Birkinshaw. “If you’ve still not heard anything within a few months, I would recommend reapplying for work experience as often it’s a question of timing. As you are still at university, I recommend becoming involved in anything that might relate to publishing such as the student newspaper. This will always look good on your CV.”

Alice Bartosinski, editor at Egmont Publishing, agrees that persistence is key to getting ahead in publishing. “If you are really passionate about a certain area of the publishing industry, you will get there in the end. If you have the right attitude and a natural aptitude for the area you’re trying to get into, just keep going. Try lots of different routes. So you need persistence, passion and dedication.”

Can publishers also be authors?

“One of the questions I get most when I talk about my job outside publishing circles is: ‘You must be a writer too, then?’ I am definitely not, but it is true that a lot of people do both in the industry,” says Ashby. “It’s hard to weigh up the benefits – you will certainly make some excellent contacts in publishing, but if you’re only getting into publishing to get a book deal you will find it incredibly hard work. This is not a nine-to-five job so you might want to think about how you would balance your writing with work.”

Milford adds that planning to write your own book may not be looked on favourably by potential employers. “Many people think of publishing as being about writing – I prefer to think of it as being about reading. An employer will want to know that you can see things from the readers’ point of view and may see a wish to write as something of a distraction.”

Culled from The Guardian

10 Grammar Mistakes that Can Keep Your Content from Spreading

 

Ever read a blog post and think, “This writer seems to have some good ideas, but the grammatical errors are driving me crazy”?

(Pro tip: If you don’t ever think this, some of your readers probably do.)

Grammatical glitches make your writing harder to read, and they turn readers off.

Content may be king, but you’ll gain a lot more respect and credibility if your writing is just as brilliant as the ideas you convey.

And by brilliant, I mean clean.

When your writing is clean, readers understand where you’re coming from. And the more your readers understand and respect where you’re coming from, the more likely they are to share your content.

 

10 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Content Writing

 

As editor of Brazen Careerist’s blog, Brazen Life, I often see the same errors in submissions for our site. If our smart contributors make these mistakes, chances are you make them sometimes, too.

So next time you write a blog post, whether it’s a guest post or for your own site, check it over for these errors:

1. Using that when you should use who

Whenever you write about people, refer to them using who, not that.

John is the guy who always forgets his shoes, not the guy that always forgets his shoes.

It’s easy to make this mistake because that has become acceptable in everyday conversations. But it’s more noticeable when it’s written down — or maybe it only jumps out to us grammar geeks?

2. Including the word currently in your bio

The word currently is virtually always redundant. (Can you tell this is one of my pet peeves?) But let’s focus on your bio, because that’s where most writers fail on this one.

Don’t write: “Tom Jones is currently a communications director.” If Tom Jones is anything, he’s that at that moment; you don’t need “currently” to clarify.

Just get rid of it.

3. Starting a sentence with There is or There are

This isn’t an actual error, but it’s often a symptom of lazy writing.

There are lots of better, more interesting ways to start sentences.

Ooops. See how easy it is to make this mistake?

Instead of starting a sentence with There is, try turning the phrase around to include a verb or start with you. For example, replace the sentence above with Start your sentences in a more interesting way.

If your copy includes a lot of phrases that begin with there is or there are, put some time into rewriting most of them.

4. Writing bullets that don’t match up

Bullet points are a popular and effective way to organize complex ideas. Just make sure your bullets correspond to one another.

For example, since this piece calls for 10 mistakes, each item needs to be something you don’t want to do. Too often, writers mix and match mistakes with what you should do or make transition to shoulds halfway through the post — which only confuses the reader.

If your piece is called 3 Career Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make, here’s a bullet point that works:

• Forgetting to tailor your resume each time you apply for a job

Here’s one that doesn’t work (because it’s not actually a mistake — the writer inadvertedly switched to what you should do):

• Make sure you tailor your resume

Likewise, if you’re offering “tips for writing while balancing on your head,” make sure the bullets are actually tips, ideas that start with an action verb, not “sitting on your head helps you think better.” That’s a reason to write while balancing on your head, not a tip for how to do it.

Often you can turn any idea into a tip by adding a verb. For example: “Remember that sitting on your head helps you write better.”

Make your bullet points consistent and your writing will read more smoothly.

5. Not using contractions

Which sounds more personable: I am heading to the market that is close to my house, or I’m heading to the market that’s close to my house?

Contractions make your writing sound friendlier, like you’re (not you are) a real person. And that makes it easier to connect with readers.

Contractions can also make your post easier to read and comprehend. So go out of your way to include them in your posts! Your editor will thank you.

6. Falling into the ing trap

“We were starting to …” or “She was skiing toward …” Whenever you see an ing in your copy, think twice about whether you need it — because you probably don’t.

Instead, get rid of were or was, then eliminate that ing and replace it with past tense: “We started to …” or “She skied toward …”

Pruning excessive “ings” makes your writing clearer and easier to read.

7. Adding a comma after that

When used as a descriptor, the word which takes a comma. But the word that doesn’t.

For example: “We went to the house that collapsed yesterday” or “We went to the house, which collapsed yesterday.”

Confused about when to use that vs. which? Grammar Girl offers a great explanation.

8. Using over rather than more than

Over 200 people did not like your Facebook page — More than 200 people did.

Of course, everyone will know what you mean if you use over. But using more than is one of those little details that will help your writing shine.

9. Forgetting to hyphenate modifiers

Whenever you modify a noun with more than one word, you need a hyphen. Lots of people don’t follow this rule, so it’s a great way to show you actually walk the walk.

That means you need a hyphen if you’re writing about full-time work. But you don’t need one if you’re working full time. Got it?

The exception: No need to hyphenate modifiers that end in “ly.” Those are OK on their own. So your newly hired employee doesn’t need that hyphen.

10. Writing could care less when you actually mean you couldn’t care less

Which is exactly how some people probably feel about this post.

But you? You’re a writer who writes clean copy. And following these suggestions, as picky as they may be, will help you create content that’s clearer and easier to read … and that makes it that much easier to share.

Culled from Copyblogger

Five Social Media Mistakes that Could Kill your Business

 

Social media is vital for big business, but an online blunder can make or break your company. Here are five mistakes to avoid.

Social media is a necessity for businesses. Whether it be for marketing, customer service, or public relations, social media is often how companies stay relevant in their customers’ lives and aware of any issues that arise. However, a wrong step on one of these platforms can work against companies, digitally tarnishing their reputations.

In 2017, the world watched the social media failures of big names like Dove, Pepsi, and Adidas. Whether it be misspellings, misconstrued images, ill-timed humor, and offensive remarks, social media mistakes are easy commit. While many social media problems start out small or happen quickly, the mark is still made, and the company still gets hurt.

“Social media is now the avenue for escalating and for overall turning the event into a much louder discussion,” said Nick Hayes, a senior analyst at Forrester. “A lot of what you have to do is start to think about how an organization has typically thought of and managed crises in the past, and start to apply that lens of social media.”

A social media faux pas doesn’t only cause problems externally, but even more so internally. Hayes highlighted the interpersonal and financial impact companies can face after such an incident. If your reputation is bruised, partners may not be as eager to work with you. The costs in and out of the business are significant as well.

Take the example of United Airlines, which faced strong criticism on social media after a video of a man being forcibly dragged off a plane by security went viral. The company tweeted a statement from its CEO, which many criticized as too cold and corporate.

This social media disaster hit United’s stock prices hard, and led to many internal issues regarding customer experience, Hayes said. With a newfound negative public perception, United found its popularity decreasing.

Protecting your company is easy, however, you just need to be aware of common social media mistakes. Here are five habits to stay away from.

1. Forgetting your brand

When constructing a social media persona, you have to know your brand. With every post, social media managers must keep in mind the company’s core values. It’s important to ask yourself before posting, “Does this post align with my company’s beliefs?”

Social media mistakes are often made when companies are trying to stand out. In an effort to gain publicity, companies may try to post something funny or eye-catching, but these types of posts also leave the most room for error. With the subjectivity of humor, companies need to be very careful that they aren’t crossing the line. If a company is considering entering a social media discussion about politics or making a joke online, they need to ask if that post would really support their company’s overall brand.

“It’s always important to, whether you’re a social media director or somebody responsible for the social voice of a brand, make sure that [a post] is aligned with the core values or mission statement of the brand, and that the tone of voice comes across in every online interaction,” said Gartner research director Jay Wilson.

2. Disregarding your audience

Going hand-in-hand with knowing your brand, you must know your audience. Businesses need to remember the personality of their customers and what social media would play well. We currently live in a very polarized country, politically and socially, Wilson said. This polarization is accompanied by an increase in vocal public opinion, which is amplified through social media platforms.

After asking yourself if a prospective post aligns with your brand, then ask if it aligns with your consumer. Both questions act as quick filters when deciding to post something out of the ordinary.

“Strategize, and really talk about and brainstorm what are the potential issues that could arise,” Wilson said. “Whether you’re taking a stand on a specific issue or you’re simply putting a campaign out there, what are the potential reactions that you might expect from this increasingly polarized audience?”

3. Plagiarism

Probably the easiest online slip-up is not giving credit where it’s due. With the amount of data and ideas floating around the internet, originality can be difficult to achieve. If a company posts a statistic or fact without attributing the information, then they can not only find themselves in a lawsuit, but also branded as a plagiarizer.

“Brands need to create playbooks and have internal processes so that their teams understand what’s fair use, what constitutes express consent, what constitutes implied consent,” said Wilson. “If you are leveraging third party content, which is something that we often recommend that brands do—finding relevant news stories or content created by partners or thought leaders on social—that’s a great source of content for brands, but you need to make sure that you’re using it in a way that’s not overly promotional, and that you have consent to use that content.”

4. Failing to prepare

Sometimes the biggest social media problem isn’t an incident itself, but the aftermath. These platforms spread information at such a fast pace that companies are given less time to respond in the event of a crisis. Hayes emphasizes creating a template for response, rather than just waiting for something bad to happen, when you won’t have time to do so thoughtfully.

“I think brands don’t drill enough,” said Wilson. “They need to be doing drills and running simulations and scenarios to make sure that their human processes, their technology, is able to quickly identify and respond to social crises.”

5. Inauthenticity

Always say sorry, and when you do, mean it. If a company is accused of a major wrongdoing, they need to apologize, and they need to do so genuinely. Referencing back to United, Hayes noted their half-hearted apologetic nature to their blunder, circumnavigating the actual consumer concerns around the event. Companies should keep an authentic voice in every message they send, but especially when it comes to apologies.

Wilson suggested creating employee advocacy programs to carry out messages to consumers. “People tend to trust front-line employees more than they do C-level executives,” Wilson said.”They want the apology from the C-level executive, but they want to listen to front-line employees and their experiences with a brand, so if you have an employee advocacy program in place, that’s a great go-to resource if you find yourself in a crisis.”

Culled from Tech Republic