Brandsplat

hello@brandsplat.com | (800) 299-5498
Ghost Written Content In the Voice of Your Brand

  • Home
  • Estimates
  • Content
  • Clients
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • BEX Analytics

Archives for February 2014

February 28, 2014 By Benjamin Porter Leave a Comment

Answering the ‘So What?’ Challenge

Follow Us

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Google+

Some — okay, most — web content is bad. We’re sure all of this copy was written with good intentions, but those are what the road to hell is paved with (or so we hear). The great majority of web content we see out there today suffers from one or more of the following copy fails: lack of clarity, bad grammar, too long-winded, not target audience-specific, dull or unintentionally hilarious, written to meet some strange quota, bad editing, etc.

And the reason bad web content is so common is that there are so many ways to get it wrong, and only one way to get it right — by giving readers the answer to the question to end all questions: “So what?” If you haven’t answered this question, you’ve gotten it wrong, no matter how snappy, well-edited and concise your content is.

The “so what?” test is something we talk about at Brandsplat a lot. We’re a bunch of writing nerds, you see, so it’s easy for us to fall in love with a bit of copy and fight like mama bears to keep it. But if it doesn’t pass the “so what?” test, it’s gone.

So how do you tell? You go back to college. You majored in journalism, didn’t you? No? Cue the crash course: Aspiring journalists are trained to write using the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when and why). These are the facts of the story or, in web content writing, the case for your business, service or offering. These can’t be obscured or made overly cute without sacrificing your mission: To communicate what happened.

Great journalism, just like great web content, goes further by reporting on these 5 Ws in a way which makes us feel connected to what’s happened and the people involved in or affected by the development. It passes the “so what?” test by using compelling copy to make us feel all the feelings we might if we were involved. It motivates us to care.

And that’s the key difference between most web content and great content: “So what?” really means “Why should I care?”

But how do we get there? Like most difficult things, the solution is simple: Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. What is your audience concerned about? Proud of? Worried over? What unmet needs does your audience have? In short, what’s the pain point? Once you know what your audience needs, you can tailor your content to pitch your business, service or offering in a way that meets that need better than your competition.

And, like nearly all difficult things that have a simple solution, implementing that solution is the tricky part. Not to worry — we’ve got an experienced team of “so whaters” here at Brandsplat and we’re eager to unleash them on your audience. So when you want to make someone else feel all the feelings for once, just give us a call and watch your content go from bland to “gimme more!”

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Digital Engagement

February 21, 2014 By Benjamin Porter Leave a Comment

Growing Your Small-to Medium-Sized Business? Don’t Neglect Social Media

Follow Us

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Google+

Hands holding a small tree

Every now and then here at Brandsplat, we sit down to write a serious blog. The topic of money is just about the only thing that gets us this serious. And we’re hoping you’ll take our message today seriously, too: After all, it’s your money we’re talking about. Read on!

Still think you can grow your small-to medium-sized business (SMB) without a concentrated social media effort? If you can, you’ll be in the vast minority, according to a new survey of financial decision makers at U.S.- and Canada-based SMBs.

TNS, a leading market research firm, conducted the study of nearly 1,000 North American SMB professionals who are charged with growing businesses with revenue of anywhere between $1 million and $50 million. The study, which was commissioned by LinkedIn but which sourced data from the Small Business Association, Dun and Bradstreet, Goldman Sachs and others, found that “engagement with social media presents a lucrative marketing opportunity.”

“Building relationships with prospects in this community is a much easier task when SMBs are reaching out for information, and willing to engage in conversation with financial providers,” notes Jennifer Grazel, a marketing blogger for LinkedIn. For example, a full 90% of those surveyed find social media to be “a highly effective way to maintain brand presence and identity,” and 82% believe it is “a meaningful source of lead generation.”

What’s more, there’s also a high correlation observed by those surveyed between their use of social media and the “hyper growth,” or significant year-over-year increase, of their business.

Simply put, investing in social media results in business growth.

But that’s not all those surveyed use social media for. Business insights and networking aren’t to be ignored, Grazel adds. Just less than half (49%) of SMBs use social media to learn about their markets, connect with their peers, discover best practices, learn from other experts and get answers on business-related questions. In other words, social media use among successful, growing businesses is truly a two-way street.

Now, while we hate to say that we told you so, we told you so. If you’re still not convinced, try putting a note on your calendar for three months from now and check those YOY numbers. If you can achieve hyper growth without investing in social media, Great. But let’s say you’re finally ready to take the plunge but just too busy to dive in personally. No worries — we know a few people who can help. 

 

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Digital Engagement Tagged With: investing in social media, small-to medium-sized businesses, SMB

February 14, 2014 By Benjamin Porter Leave a Comment

Five Funny Olympic Moments You Might Have Missed

Follow Us

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Google+

Everyone has a soft spot for the Olympics. Whether you’re admiring the pure feats of athleticism, living vicariously through the tales of triumph and sacrifice or just speculating on when Bob Costas and his one good eye will be back on the air, the Olympics serve up some of the best TV around — particularly if you love the running dialogue offered by commentators.

But putting that many people and cameras in one place means you’re bound to capture some funny moments — and inspire others. Here’s our list of five not-to-be-missed Olympic laughs:

1. Luge Love: Regardless of what you think about Russia’s track record on gay rights, this commercial will make you laugh. The brilliant use of an ’80s song excerpt, the slow-mo videography and the awesome punchline at the end are all the ingredients you need for a big viral hit.

2. #OlympicPickupLines: The games have a well-deserved reputation as Hookup Central. Jimmy Fallon starts the ball rolling and we’re never sure where it’ll stop. Our favorite?: @ir_mek “want to come up to my room? i have a door…”

3. The New McKayla?: Every so often, an Olympian does the unimaginable: They let down their guard and pull a face that shows what they really think about the judges’ scores. Remember 2012 summer games’ McKayla Maroney? Well, American figure skater Ashley Wagner’s similarly unimpressed face has launched a new round of memes — and if she’s smart, she’ll take a page from Maroney’s book and laugh it off. Here’s a great piece from Bustle with tips on how to manage her meme fame going forward.

4. Boom Goes the Dynamite: How Olympic skiers do the whole mogul thing is beyond us. Our knees would have knocked out all of our teeth before we even got to regionals. Adding Star Wars’ AT-AT walkers to the mix doesn’t seem sporting, but it is funny.

5. Colbert Report on Ice: Special correspondent Buddy Cole makes butching up the U.S. speed skating team look easy. But I’d like to see him try that on the male figure skaters. Show us your gold face!

Got any favorite moments of your own to share? Post them in the comments section below. Happy Sochi!

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Digital Engagement, Five Things You Might Have Missed, News

February 8, 2014 By Dawn Walnoha Leave a Comment

Blog Writing: We Call it a Life

Follow Us

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Google+

“Ask for money, and get advice/Ask for advice, get money twice”

We’re feeling some Pitbull love today at Brandsplat. We love the first line of this song, which has some kind of magical staying power on the radio station we tune into at our office even though it was released more than a year ago. And lately it’s become a sort of battle cry for the blog writers. We change it up a bit, though:

“Write your own blog, and get a Like/Get us to write, go live your life”

OK, so we’re not mega-ultra-lightening-awesome rap freestylers. But we’ve noticed a trend: Clients come to us to help grow their business by improving their SEO or explaining their products/services through regular blogs. They come to us because they want to connect in a more meaningful way with their target audience.

And we’re great at that. We get all up in their business, asking questions about why people should choose them and how we can best explain their point of differentiation over the competition. We find new and helpful ways to talk about their business from the fresh perspective of someone who doesn’t already know everything about it. We do it on schedule and under budget. We do it with finesse and a bit of humor, where appropriate. And we win them business.

But that’s not why they stay. Time after time (another great song!), we hear this from clients: “I feel so good knowing the blog is in good hands. It’s one more thing off my plate — one less thing to worry about. Now I have my life back.”

Delegating blog management to us means more time for our clients to focus, or even to stop constantly executing long enough to think, create and plan. (Think you don’t need it? Our friend Juliet Funt at WhiteSpace has some great takeaways on that.)

It’s really a win-win. Why? Because this is totally fun for us. We’re freaks, we admit it. Most people hate writing blogs. A select few like it just fine but their workload doesn’t allow them the time to sit down and do it regularly. In any case, they’re not blogging professionals, but they hold themselves and their blog to that standard. Yikes much?

If it leaks, you call a plumber. If it crashes, you call IT. Why would you attempt to manage your own blog needs? Call the experts. This is what we do.

Y’all call it a moment, but we call it a life.

Filed Under: Weekly Five Things You Might Have Missed

BRANDSPLAT creates articles, blogs, social media, and all written content in the voice of your brand. Our clients include entrepreneurs, personalities, mid-size companies, and some of the world's biggest brands.

Get our free Brandsplat Report.






    Search

    Categories

    • Analytics
    • Article Marketing
    • Blog Content Management
    • Blog Marketing
    • Brand Engagement
    • Brandcasting
    • Brandsplat Video Report
    • Business Development
    • Digital Engagement
    • Email Marketing
    • Facebook Management
    • Facebook Marketing
    • Five Things You Might Have Missed
    • General
    • Mobile Marketing
    • News
    • Online Brand Management
    • Online Marketing
    • Online video creation
    • Search Engine Marketing
    • SEO
    • Social Media Management
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Twitter Management
    • Twitter Marketing
    • Video Content
    • Viral Marketing
    • Weekly Five Things You Might Have Missed
    • Weekly Video Report

    Calendar

    • ► 2020
      • September
    • ► 2019
      • April
      • March
      • February
    • ▼ 2014
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2013
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2012
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2011
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2010
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2009
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May

    Odds & Ends

    Guest Blogging Guidelines
    The Brandsplat Report
    Articles

    The Brandsplat Report

    A free monthly video with news and information about online strategy, marketing, and content.

    Search

    Home
    Content
    Clients
    Sitemap
    About
    Articles
    Brandsplat Report
    BEX Analytics
    (800) 299-5498
    hello@brandsplat.com
    Email
    http://twitter.com/@brandsplat
    http://linkedin.com/company/brandsplat
    http://brandsplat.com/videos/
    Copyright © 2019 Brandsplat | All rights reserved.