by E. Adam Porter | Jul 26, 2018 | Blog
Success should be celebrated!
And, once the party has ended, the path and process that yielded that accomplishment should be explored and recorded. A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a video, article, or essay can be a priceless key that opens new and more profitable doors.
An in-depth paper about who you are and what you’ve done is a compelling window of understanding that will attract new prospects, create buzz about your business or brand, and raise the ceiling on your brand value and potential profitability.
That’s why Atlas Media Ink offers white papers, promotional essays, and public relations or media articles and releases that will draw attention and get people saying and thinking great things about you.
by E. Adam Porter | Jul 12, 2017 | Blog
Consider your audience
If you want to connect with your audience, there is nothing more important than understanding that audience. Knowing what they are looking for, answering questions they have and maybe even a few they don’t even know to ask. Get inside their head, find out what they are looking for and give it to them. Do not skip this step. Become your audience, then write for them, and you will be successful.
Write for the reader
It doesn’t matter if you are crafting ad copy, web text or writing a fiction book, if you want to trade that work for money, you are not writing for you. The reader is the one who will determine if what you have to say has any value. It may be your baby, but they get to decide whether it’s cute or not. That’s a difficult truth for a lot of folks to swallow, but it doesn’t make it any less true. So write for the reader…or don’t bother publishing it at all.
Keep it simple
Avoid impenetrable jargon that takes a lot of words to say practically nothing. While this may seem professional, what it really is…is rude. If you use terminology that your reader will not understand in order to sound more professional, you are not being a good communicator, you are being a rude communicator. While there are always going to be industry terms and other names for things that the general public may not understand, your context can—and should—help to define these words. Remember, the goal is to connect, and to connect you need to be understood. Be direct, straightforward and keep it simple.
Be specific
Connection is not about what you can do for your prospects, clients or readers. It is about what they need, and how you can offer it to them. Whether you are promoting a well-established and understood product or service, or you are attempting to introduce a new concept to the marketplace, it must fulfill a need or a want—even if the customer does not know he or she needs what you have to offer. Internet marketing is entirely consumer driven. Users are typing specific words into search engines. You need to know what they are, and craft your messages in a way that grabs your prospect and says, in no uncertain terms: “You want X. I can do that for you.”
If you want to connect, make it about them…not about you. With that in mind, let’s come full circle with all this. In the COMMENT section below, share your favorite ways to connect with readers…and a few things that drive you crazy too.
by E. Adam Porter | Jul 12, 2017 | Blog
With his trademark understated cultural satire, Bill Watterson strikes a chord for all of us who are sick to death of—or at least hopelessly confused by— empty jargon, meaningless, business-speak and other words that take up space but communicate nothing.
What you say matters. Your words have worth…or at least they should. If communication is currency—and it is—when you opt for content that says nothing and means less, you are creating message inflation, devaluing the currency of your communication and frustrating your prospects in the process.
Let me put it to you this way: How much would you pay for a gadget that…
- You may already have
- You do not fully understand
- Comes with instructions written in a language you do not speak
- Promises no desirable results
Not very much, right? You may not even take it home if someone was giving it away. So, why is it that so many people find it necessary to fill their books, websites and blog posts with insufferable jargon and empty words?
Here is a work request a colleague of mine recently received regarding her need for contract help.
“Hello. I work with individuals and companies to build unique solutions to help take your vision to the next level. I would work with you to understand your objectives ranging from internet to creative marketing strategies and business development.”
This post reads like it was assembled in the jargon factory and picked up wholesale at the business-speak department of IKEA…some assembly required
Here’s another example, pulled from the ABOUT page of a random website:
“We are a fully-calibrated, collaboration-guided agency where everyone has a voice. {Company X} finds creative and innovative solutions for the needs of our clients. In a landscape that is ever-evolving, we are a dynamic team that knows how to get it done – smartly, effectively, and most of all, passionately.”
Okay, let’s do some quick word association…
“Fully calibrated and collaboration guided” sounds like what you do to a ballistic missile, not a marketing plan. Also, it’s wonderful that you have not hired mutes at your agency, and that the presence of voices allows your team to be dynamic at getting “it” done.
But there’s just one “small” issue…
They never explained the “it” that you get done “smartly, effectively, and most of all, passionately.” Without a specific, applicable message, there can be no call to action. So, your prospect will read your pretty words…and do nothing.
TAKEAWAY
Avoid jargon and empty business-speak. Deliver simple, direct content that makes sense and compels the reader to action. That’s what Atlas Media Ink has been doing for more than 20 years.
by E. Adam Porter | Jul 11, 2017 | Blog
Become your market’s source, so you can be their solution.
Recent surveys have revealed that 80% of Americans do not regularly read for entertainment. But everyone reads when we need information. Whether a blog post, a product review or a helpful guide – we all read when there’s something we really want to know. So, here’s the question you need to consider: how many people out there have needs you can meet right now and have questions you can answer right now?
These kinds of books can transform your business. Books full of things you know that other people want to learn. This information can help people solve real world problems, answer pressing questions and cause your prospects to know, like and trust you before they ever pick up the phone or click “send” on an email.
#1 – Books meet a felt need…right now.
We live in the Immediate Information Age. People want to know, and they don’t want to wait. We’ve been programmed to Google anything we might want to know. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t really curate the information online, so there’s a lot of content that’s, frankly, not worth the time it takes to read it. Sure, there’s a lot of good out there … Think about how you feel when you find information online that’s reliable, current and immediately applicable. Feels good, right? Well, a book helps you deliver that feeling to someone looking for what you have to offer.
#2 – Books help YOU become the go-to expert…instead of your competition.
Information is not always reliable. Between the proliferation of misinformation online and mistaken information from “friends” on social media, most of us have learned that the hard way a time or three. But what if you could immediately offer your customers the right answer so they did not need to look for answers in all the wrong places? What if you could teach them exactly what they wanted to know at exactly the right time? You would not just be offering a service. You would be that customer’s hero, an “expert” friend who answered a question… and saved them a ton of time and money in the process.
#3 – Books provide an additional source of income…residual profit in your pocket.
Whether you opt for an easily downloadable eBook or a physical book, every one you sell translates into added respect and trust as well as additional income for you or your business. What could that income mean for you? Could you pay off bills sooner? Clear up some credit accounts? Update your equipment or business tools? Take for vacation?
No matter why you need the extra cash, the additional income from the sale of books will get you there faster. Plus, books can be a significant source of residual income for years after they have been written.
While you’re thinking about the kind of information you can offer people looking for it right now, here’s one more thing to consider: How much cash are you leaving on the table each time those people get their answers from someone else?
If you would like to become your customer’s source, to be known as an expert in your industry, and earn easy residual income, then you need a book with your name on it.
Contact Atlas Media Ink today to schedule your book planning meeting.
