NewsWise

NewsWise, our monthly e-newsletter, provides information on current communications topics. These articles are reprinted here for your enjoyment. In addition, NewsWise also provides details on meetings of interest in the Denver metro area.

Client Testimonials Should Be Great, Not Good
As we've all seen on Web sites and in other marketing materials, many businesses use customer testimonials to tout their strengths. "Wow!" says a satisfied client, "You blew us away with your customer service!" "You guys are amazing!" says another, "I'm recommending you to all my friends." more

First Impressions are Critical
Experts say that people form their first impression of someone new that they meet within the first minute of meeting them. Some even go so far as to say that they form their impression within seconds. We believe the same is true when someone first sees your company's marketing materials. more

What Not To Say
A popular television show is What Not to Wear, in which a person who is “challenged” in how to dress and look is totally made over. In our version, our goal is to discuss what not to say, especially to the media. more

Business Communication Etiquette 101
Many offices adopted a “business casual” attire in the workplace in the 1990’s. This meant a more relaxed attire — no more suits, ties, panty hose, and so forth. Unfortunately, many business people have also adopted a business casual attitude in their business communications. more

How to Mix Media
by Phil Soreide
If you’re as old as I am, or if you’ve studied your advertising history, you may remember Canadian cultural critic and communications theorist Marshall McLuhan, who maintained that the method of communicating information is more important than the information itself. The phrase, “the medium is the message” seemed pretty cryptic to me then, but the longer I worked in advertising, the more sense it made. more

Recipe for Business Success
Recently, I was asked to participate in a recipe exchange program. Now, this is a laugh, as I pretty much only cook what comes in a box or bag—but it got me thinking about other types of recipes. Specifically, developing the right “mix” of ingredients to successfully promote your business in an integrated marketing campaign. more

Direct Mail 101
How many junk e-mails do you receive each day? 50? 100? 200? More? While many of these communications are definitely unwanted and undesirable, some do provide valuable information about products and services you might actually want to buy. However, more often than not, these messages are deleted along with all of the other unwanted e-mails. more

When a Tornado Strikes
Recently, I drove through Greensburg, Kansas, the small town that was hit by a devastating tornado on May 4. Nearly 95 percent of the town was destroyed, with the remaining 5 percent severely damaged. I drive through Greensburg almost every summer and the site was surreal. Expecting to see many damaged businesses and homes, it was astounding to see that the town was, to put it quite simply, just gone. more

Open Mouth, Insert Foot!
It seems to happen every week: someone is caught saying something that they immediately wish they could take back. Even seasoned professionals like Don Imus say things they wish they hadn't. more

So, you want to be on TV? On the radio? In the newspaper?…
Sure you do.
Show of hands — who doesn't want to see their company and its products or services on TV or in the newspaper? What, no hands raised? That's because no matter what product you sell or service you offer, you want to see a story about it in the newspaper or on television. more

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business
OK, we realize that we’re a bit late, but the resolutions we’re proposing can take place at any time – but it’s important that they do take place at least on an annual basis. These resolutions pertain to reviewing all of your marketing materials to make sure that they always present your business in the best possible light. more

2007 Colorado Small Business Forecast
The November 2006 election ushered in a new and largely uncharted political era for Colorado as Democrats secured and bolstered their control of state government. For the first time in nearly five decades, Democrats now simultaneously control the Governor’s office and both houses of the General Assembly. more

Does Your Case Study Interest the Reader?
Developing and writing a case study can be a great way to show what your product or service can do in the real world. Written well, it can enlighten the reader by addressing problems he or she is likely to be experiencing and giving an authentic look at how one of your customers solved them. You get the credibility of being talked about in glowing terms by a client, and you usually get to point to some bottom-line results or process changes that specifically improved the business. Problem, solution, outcomes — bingo! Another satisfied customer. more

The Truth About Search Engine Rankings
A question frequently asked by our clients is, "Why doesn't my site rank higher in the search engines?" The next question is generally, "Why doesn't my site get more traffic?" The short answer is this: it depends on what search terms are used by potential visitors, as well as how many other Web sites offer a similar product or service. more

The Importance of Employee Communications
Many organizations are good at working with the media and making sure the general public, their investors, stakeholders, etc. receive information about the company. However, many of these organizations frequently overlook the most importance audience of all — their employees. more

Crisis Communications - Always Be Prepared
Last week, the media outlets in Denver reported that a well-known corporate leader was arrested for drunk driving. That, in and of itself, is enough to give any corporate communications person nightmares, but in this case, the person is also the head of a very well-known beer manufacturer...both he and the company carry the same name — Coors. more

Media Basics 101
So, you want to see your name in pictures — or at least, in the newspaper or on your local TV station? We find that people fall into two spectrums when it comes to promoting their business via the local media: they either assume it's a piece of cake or they think it's impossible. The truth lies somewhere in between. Unless you've committed a heinous crime — or invented the greatest product since sliced bread — it isn't exactly easy to get your company and its products in print or on TV. However, it's not impossible either, if you take the right approach. more

How to Market with Minimal Money
Okay, I admit it — marketing in general, and advertising in particular, is expensive. Even big companies are often squeezed to budget the kind of money it takes to break through into people's consciousness and precipitate an action. So what's a small company to do? more

The How-To's of Direct Mail Marketing
As popular as e-mail marketing, the Internet and other "new" methods of reaching target audiences have become, many people often forget one of the most effective marketing techniques — direct mail. In fact, anecdotal reports show that due to the barrage of these new techniques, people almost cherish getting an actual piece of marketing collateral in the mail. more

Communication 101 - Or, How to Always Put Your Best Foot Forward
Not counting Spam, how many e-mails do you get each day? 50? 100? More? Because of this information overload, we often get sloppy in our responses. Proper punctuation and grammar, correct spelling and fixing typos have gone by the wayside in our hurry to respond and get on to other "more important" tasks. more

Make it Your New Year's Resolution to Improve Your Networking Skills
Whether you're an insurance salesman, graphic artist, nonprofit organization or widget designer, one of the most effective ways to gain new customers is through networking. In its purest form, networking is simply talking with people to gather information, seek advice, expand awareness - and most importantly, generate referrals. Everyone has advice on networking tips...so we thought we'd provide some of our own. more

Surviving a Crisis
Recent events have shown us just how important it is to be prepared for a crisis. From individuals to businesses to the government, Hurricane Katrina made it obvious that advanced planning to deal with a crisis is critical. Of course, you can’t plan for every situation — especially one as catastrophic as a major hurricane — but every business should have basic plans in place to help deal with a crisis. more

How — and why — to communicate with your employees
Once you get beyond the number of employees you can casually keep track of in your own brain — and maybe before that — it's wise to consider your own workforce as an audience needing and deserving special attention. more

Developing Your Own 30-Second Commercial
Whether your business is just starting out or is long established, networking is a vital part of securing new business. How you do it is critical. You need to present your information in a succinct way, while making sure that what your company does is clear. more

Crisis Management Update
Bad things happen to good companies. It's a fact of life. How the situation is handled after the initial incident is frequently more important than the incident itself. more

You Are Your Brand – Or, Business Etiquette 101
Whether you own your own business, are senior management, or are an employee, you should always be “marketing” yourself to your business associates. It may sound trite, but your business image — that is, the brand of “you” — is essential to your professional success. more

How To Narrow Your Marketing Focus
If you use a military metaphor to think about your marketing communications, it becomes obvious why you need to concentrate your resources to be effective. Imagine a long front line of enemy troops — those are the individual mental barriers to your sales message. more

Measuring the Effectiveness of Public Relations
One of the most frequent questions regarding public relations is "How do you know a PR campaign was successful?" There is no definitive answer. Virtually every PR practitioner will give a slightly — or sometimes a very — different answer to that question. more

Spring Cleaning at Your Business
Spring is a good time to review all of your marketing materials and make sure they are current. Are they figuratively "gathering dust," outdated and not presenting your organization in the best possible way? more

How to Develop Your Logo
Never underestimate the value of a good logo. Nike has parlayed their trademark "swoosh" into a multi-billion dollar company asset, and some Harley-Davidson riders are so loyal, they've had the logo tattooed on their skin. Well designed (and then well promoted), a logo can communicate your competitive edge and, in time, convey the whole of that competitive edge merely by its presence. more

2005 Forecast for Colorado Small Businesses
Colorado's small businesses can expect continued gradual economic improvement in the year ahead. The November elections ushered in changes that appear to bode well for the local and state economy which, like a rising tide, will help lift all small business boats. more

How To Get The Most Out Of Special Event Marketing
Sometimes, making personal contact with your customers and prospects is an especially valuable marketing technique. For business-oriented companies, this often means participation in industry trade shows and conventions. more

Creating User Friendly Web Sites
You know from your own experience that some Web sites work better than others. Some are simple and clean, well organized, and enable the user to find relevant and meaningful information easily and quickly. Others, even though they might be graphically dazzling and clever, suffer from inconsistent content presentation, confuse the viewer with questionable or incomplete navigation, and end up wasting the visitor's time. more

The Importance of Brand Identity
(also titled: "If the Byline Were Warren Buffet, I Bet You'd Read This")
What is brand identity, and why is it important? Here's a back-of-the-business-card primer that will not only make you conversant, it could help your business. more

Be Prepared
The Boy Scouts have it right. The best way to survive a crisis is to have prepared for it in advance. For our purposes, we define a crisis as: more

How to Get Media Attention
Everyone loves to see their name in the newspaper or on TV. Even better is seeing their company name...and we're not talking about Martha Stewart or the folks at Enron. We're talking about positive news coverage about new products, new contracts, promotions, awards and so forth. more

Community Involvement = Good Marketing
Every marketing expert will tell you that a key to successful marketing is name recognition. Millions and millions of dollars are spent each year on advertising and public relations, but many companies often overlook another way for people to learn about their company and its products and services. more

Testing 1, 2, 3
When new products are developed, from widgets to luxury automobiles to light bulbs, they undergo extensive quality assurance testing for days, often months. However, when we develop our marketing and public relations materials, we sometimes forget this step. more

Spring Is The Time To Review Your Business Wardrobe
No, we don't mean making sure that your blouse matches your suit or your tie goes with your jacket. The business wardrobe that we're talking about is the image that your business materials project to current and potential clients and customers, the general public, and yes, even your employees. more

top

Member Articles

By Jane Dvorak

By Phil Soreide

top