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by Hannah Comerford, Scribe Contributor
Today is National Teacher Day, a day to celebrate our teachers and their hard work. What our teachers taught us in English class is now a part of our subconscious, and we use the rules we learned in our everyday lives. Whether you liked diagramming sentences or hated spelling bees, your early lessons laid a foundation for your business writing.
However, as we grew older, the rules started to change. “I before E, except after C” added the stipulation, “or when sounded as A, as in neighbor and weigh.” Before long we realized that this didn’t even cover everything, and we simply gave up on the mnemonic altogether (at least I did!). Perhaps you’ve noticed this shift with other elementary school grammar rules: they’re often broken in the adult professional world. Why is this?
by Ashley Smith
“How often misused words generate misleading thoughts.” – Herbert Spencer, English philosopher (1820-1903)
As much as I’d like to think I have a way with words, I admit to the occasional slipup. Just the other day I sent an email to someone asking if I could “site” something she had said, rather than “cite” it. It wasn’t until after I’d sent the email that I recognized my error.
Sometimes our writing mistakes are things we would catch with closer review. Other times, we may not know or remember the correct usage or spelling. Add to this the fact that so much of what we read on the Internet is not formally edited, and we are also in danger of perpetuating the mistakes made by others.
Thankfully, my communication with this person was not business related. Had it been, my credibility likely would have been damaged. Although it is sometimes acceptable to intentionally misuse a word for the sake of great copy, careless mistakes or errors of ignorance can, as Herbert Spencer put it, “generate misleading thoughts.” Or worse yet, they can cost you a client.
Below are ten examples of commonly misused words. Are you guilty of misusing any of them?
Imagine having a potential customer base of millions without having to spend a dime to market your company. Sound too good to be true? That’s what using social media as a marketing tool can do for you.
According to eMarketer, by 2013 164.2 million Americans—or 67% of the nation’s Internet users—will use social networks. So, if you have not yet joined the ranks of companies that use social media as a way to promote their businesses, you might want to reconsider.
However, before you rush off to create a Twitter account, you’ll want to educate yourself on the basics of social media marketing.
Nearly $1.5 billion was spent on lottery tickets for the recent $640 million Mega Millions prize. Maybe you took part in the frenzy, buying tickets on the chance that luck would find you.
In truth, if you invest in lottery tickets, your chances of getting lucky are lower than your chances of being hit by lightning. However, if you invest in your business, you can create your own luck. Rather than spending money to let fate take control, invest in intelligent strategies that ensure success.
Let’s face it, humor makes a lasting impression. That’s why so many big companies use it in their advertising. Unfortunately, most small businesses avoid incorporating funny copy in their marketing.
Why? Perhaps some small business owners believe that to gain customer awareness and trust they must first be taken seriously. They could also be afraid of getting it wrong and offending potential customers. Or maybe because they’re wearing so many hats, like Dave from the Staples commercials, they just don’t have time to be funny.
Can you relate? If so, relax, let your hair down, and get creative! Adding a smile and a wink to your copy can increase your conversion rate and humanize your company.
A good way to start is to consider the type of humor you want to use. It should suit the product or service you offer and the type of customer you’re targeting.
Below are some types of humor that are widely used in advertising along with hypothetical examples.
- Enthusiastic: A little funny, a little exaggerative, this humor can get potential customers enthused to buy your product. Example: “Sassy Sneakers: So stylish and comfy you will never want to take them off . . . ever. Seriously! You’ll want to wear them to the gym, to the office, to a night out, to bed . . . yes, even to bed. We’re not joking.”
- Self-deprecating: We’re all guilty of occasionally belittling ourselves, so one of the best ways to humanize your company is to make fun of yourself. As long as it comes from the heart, potential customers will approve. “We’re not cool, but we make cool sneakers.”
- Absurd: Using absurdity in your advertising is a great way to get attention. Who knows, you’ll maybe even start a trend. Imagine a picture of hands in a pair of sneakers, the arms acting as legs, with the caption: “Sassy Sneakers: so stylish and comfy, your hands will want to do the walking.” The campaign might prompt people to take pictures of their hands in a pair of Sassy Sneakers and send them to the company.
- Witty: For the more discerning customer, try adding some insightful humor to your copy. “Hamlet’s question should have been, ‘To wear or not to wear?’ Sassy Sneakers. Trust us, you’ll want to wear them.”
Keep in mind that once you choose to add humor to your copy, it’s important to be consistent with it. Think of it as part of a unique voice that people will come to associate with your company.
Can you think of other types of humor used in advertising? Leave us your ideas in the comment section below.
by Ashley Smith, Scribe Contributor
Happy Vernal Equinox, otherwise known as the first day of spring!
Throughout the year, day and night compete for time. Day dominates in the summer, night in the winter. However, twice a year during the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, day and night call a truce: for twenty-four hours they allow each other to reign for roughly the same length of time.
Similarly, our brains have two sides that sometimes seem to compete for dominance. The right hemisphere is the creative or fantasy-based side. It presents possibilities and interprets aesthetics and feelings. The left hemisphere is the logical or reality-based side. It forms strategies and interprets facts and details.
But whether you consider yourself a predominantly left-brained or right-brained thinker, when it comes to analyzing the value and desire of a product or service, chances are you engage both sides of the brain almost equally.
Here’s an interesting article from Inc.com about how the use of words ending in -ing can harm your productivity. The authors mistakenly call these words gerunds, when in fact they’re talking about the present participle, but their point is still valid. (A gerund refers to the usage of a verb as a noun.)
Here’s a snippet, written specifically to entrepreneurs, but applicable to most of us:
The path to ruin for many entrepreneurs comes from a lack of accountability. It’s easy as an entrepreneur to get caught up in what you’re doing—as opposed to what you’ve accomplished and what you plan to do next.
Read the whole article here.
If you’re reporting to a client, colleague, or supervisor, make sure you let them know what has been accomplished and what is planned next, instead of just reporting on current activities.
If you’re an entrepreneur whose only “report” may be the one to yourself—planning your day and examining what you’ve accomplished already—check your to-do list for too many present participles. Because sometimes the most important communication is the kind you have with yourself.
by Ashley Smith, Scribe Contributor
On Sunday, we sprang into spring by setting our clocks ahead one hour. This first day or two of Daylight Saving Time can bring mixed emotions—distress for having lost an hour of sleep, yet also excitement for having gained an extra hour of daylight (which for those of us living in the Pacific Northwest is a much-anticipated event).
I don’t know about you, but when springtime rolls around, I’d rather not squander the extra daylight sitting in front of a computer, writing and checking email. And let’s face it, between the personal and business email we send and receive every day, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. So what can you do to keep your email burden light?
What Dr. Suess Can Teach You about Communicating with Customers
by Ashley Smith, Scribe Contributor
Today marks Theodore Seuss Geisel’s 108th birthday. Dr. Suess, as he is more commonly known, was one of the most prolific communicators of the twentieth century. While he was most famous for his children’s books, he was also a political cartoonist and a successful illustrator for advertising campaigns.
One of the main reasons Dr. Suess’s children’s books are so famed is because of their inherent moral lessons. Although he claimed it was never his intention to incorporate a moral when he began writing the tales, he did believe you could find a lesson in any story.
Below are a few famous quotes by Dr. Seuss from which I’ve garnered some “lessons” to help you along your journey to becoming an expert business communicator.
by Ashley Smith, Scribe Contributor
Whether you’re looking to expand your business in another country or you’re reaching out to a wider cross-cultural market here in the U.S., understanding differences in the way people communicate is essential for your success.
Understand your market.
A good way to start is to understand your market better. For example, if you walk into a McDonald’s in India you will not see a single beef burger offered on the menu. Why? Because the cow is revered in Hindu culture. You must know how to tailor your product or service to fit the culture of your client’s country or community. Otherwise they simply won’t buy it.
Make sure you’ve done your research or have knowledgeable consultants with firsthand experience in the country or community you are targeting.