My Latest for the Found Gen: Consumers’ Message to Brands: Just Be Yourself

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Most savvy business owners find themselves, at some point in their company’s life span, worrying whether their marketing message is connecting with target customers. And if those customers include people under the age of 30, the worry isn’t just about connecting—it’s about speaking what seems like a whole other language.

The good news is: They can now relax. Marketing studies have (yet again) revealed that consumers of all ages respond better to messaging that is authentic to the brand and focuses on what’s important—how will your product or service make my life better?—versus what’s cool or trendy. READ MORE AT THE FOUND GEN

My latest for the Found Gen: The Holiday Hustle

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The nonstop shopping bonanza that has become the holiday season used to be the exclusive domain of the retail category. But the Internet, social media, and the evolving nature of how people view gift giving have all given service- and experience-based businesses equal access to consumer wallets.

That means the holiday season is the perfect time for virtually any business to market itself to customers. Need some holiday promotion inspiration? Here are 5 effective ways to keep your brand top of mind. READ MORE AT THE FOUND GEN

Looking for a Tasty New Marketing Idea? Consider the e-Book

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been working on a project for a cool lifestyle-consultancy client that I think could have major potential for a wide variety of small businesses: a custom e-book.

Without giving too much away, the one I’ve been writing copy for is a actually an e-cookbook—a curated collection of healthy recipes accompanied by an introduction, insightful health benefits for the ingredients featured in each dish and several sidebars offering ideas and everyday tricks for adhering to the brand’s nutritional plan.

It’s been a really enjoyable project, much of which is due to the fun I had conducting a little preliminary market research. There are some great, totally free e-cookbooks out there! Many that I saw were the solo efforts of food bloggers, and several were truly beautifully designed and full of witty, useful information.

For a business that already has a solid collection of content (in any form)—blog posts full of service info, recipes using a certain product or type of food, fashion advice, financial guidance—creating an e-book as a free takeaway for clients is simply a brilliant idea.

Screen Shot 2015-11-25 at 2.51.57 PMOne book, in particular, caught my attention (and it has already expanded my thinking when it comes to quick, easy, and healthy cooking): Good and Cheap, by food-studies scholar Leanne Brown. What started as a school project focused on creating $4-a-day meal ideas for people with limited income has turned into a massive success story: More than 900,000 copies of the book have been downloaded, including thousands more that were printed via a Kickstarter campaign to distribute to people in need, and Brown has released a second cookbook, called From Scratch.

Even if you are lucky enough not to have to price-shop at the grocery store, I guarantee you will uncover at least one basic but clever meal-planning hack.

 

Websites with Great Copywriting: Humor

This is the first in a series of posts spotlighting websites with outstanding copywriting. Let’s start with something a little silly.

Humor, by Frank Body

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Frank Body is an Australian company that makes coffee-based skin-care products. The website copy is playful and witty, from the first-person quotes scattered throughout the site to the product descriptions, which are clever yet still convey some substantial information about what each one does.

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The consistent voice and style follow through from short and direct “about” copy (which manages to elevate product benefits into something engaging to read) to hashtags to regularly updated blog-style posts that explain how key ingredients work and recommend skin-care routines. Notice how the main display text is active and to the point.

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Screen Shot 2015-06-26 at 11.07.50 AMThe only part of the website that doesn’t jibe perfectly with the rest, for me, is a section called #Let’sBeFrank. It’s an extension of the implied male voice behind the rest of the copy. “He” dishes advices to women from the perspective of a straight-talking guy pal, espousing opinions and what I think is supposed to be empowering messages on topics like wearing makeup, figuring out if a guy is into you, marriage and babies, and how to tell if you’re high-maintenance.

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I get that it’s supposed to be funny, but to me it feels contrived—like someone couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use “Let’s Be Frank” again somewhere in the marketing and so thought this up. But that’s such a minor, totally personal quibble—and maybe many other people do find the posts funny and share them on social media.

Overall Frank Body takes a refreshingly fun and playful approach to branding for a product that’s cool, but if you think about it, not so, so groundbreaking on its own. Infusing a lot of personality adds to its allure, and works to build the sort of cachet that defines other, successful niche beauty brands.

Websites with Great Copywriting

When was the last time you called up a website and were so surprised by the copy that you actually took a moment to appreciate it? Instead of zooming in on the images of whatever product you were hunting down or menu you were checking out, you let your fingers hover for a few seconds…and read the words. At least for me, it’s not a common occurrence.

And most websites are written that way intentionally: The copy is like a chain of signposts directing you speedily toward the primary call-to-action—to complete your order or make a reservation.

But some sites do succeed in using writing to stand out, to infuse the brand with personality, and checking them out is a great exercise in expanding how you think about online content. So when I come across something particularly well done, surprising or inspirational, I’ll share it. You never know what might get the gears turning when it comes time to tackle your own project.

First up: a beauty company with branding that’s funny—and bold.

My Latest for the Found Gen: What Makes a Slogan Effective?

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The term “slogan”—defined as a “word or phrase that is easy to remember and is used by a group or business to attract attention”—is derived from the Scottish word for a war cry. It’s a pretty fitting etymology, when you think about it. An effective slogan cries out into the marketplace the essence of a business. It becomes entrenched in consumers’ minds, guiding their subconscious thought patterns, perceptions and, hopefully—ultimately—their decision making. It is a perpetual (and free) advertisement. READ MORE AT THE FOUND GEN