(3452,4,'2017-03-16 14:00:03','2017-03-16 18:00:03','Yesterday, Bill Walsh, a copy editor for the<em> Washington Pos</em>t and author of three books on language, died. He was far too young--only 55--and a victim of cancer. He was liked and respected by his colleagues, copy editors everywhere, and by people who appreciate clean, readable copy (myself included).  His <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/bill-walsh-copy-editor-and-witty-authority-on-language-dies-at-55/2017/03/15/6bf9dea4-002e-11e7-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html?utm_term=.d4a1e9589dd4\" target=\"_blank\">obituary in the Post</a> is a worthwhile read.\r\n\r\nA couple of years ago, I had the good fortune to attend a copy editing workshop that Mr. Walsh was leading. He talked about his pet peeves (\"armed gunmen\" for example) and talked extensively about comma and hyphen use, among other topics. After the session, somebody asked him why there were so many copy errors in the <em>Washington Post</em>. He lamented that the shear quantity of copy (all that digital stuff) made it impossible to keep up. And of course, his department had suffered cuts.\r\n\r\nMore and more, news outlets have fewer copy editors or even none at all. Writers/reporters are expected to edit their own work, which, as anybody who has written anything, is damn near impossible to do successfully.\r\n\r\nCopy editing is not proofreading. Proofreading is about making sure that words are spelled correctly and/or are in the right place. Copy editing is far more than that. Copy editing is about making sure that the work makes sense and that it is accurate. It strives to improve readability and accessibility.\r\n\r\nBill Walsh was a celebrity copy editor (he had a following!). His insight and wit are irreplaceable. I hope that his main skill--copy editing--does not die along with him. He certainly transmitted his knowledge through his books and his workshops. But he couldn\'t stop the powers that be from making cuts to copy editing staff.\r\n\r\nWithout copy editors, readers are shortchanged with text that can be mistake-ridden and inaccurate. Copy editors are valuable and perform necessary work inside news organizations and indeed, any organization that puts out \"content.\"\r\n\r\nRest in peace, Bill Walsh. You and your skills will be be sorely missed.\r\n\r\nP.S. I don\'t have a copy editor, so any mistakes (and I am sure there are a few) are mine and mine alone.','The death of copy editing?','','publish','open','open','','the-death-of-copy-editing','','','2017-03-16 14:00:03','2017-03-16 18:00:03','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3452',0,'post','',0),(3449,4,'2017-03-07 13:24:11','2017-03-07 18:24:11','A mantra is defined by<a href=\"https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mantra\" target=\"_blank\"> Merriam-Webste</a>r as a mystical formula of invocation or incantation. In Sanskrit, a mantra is a phrase, word, or sound that is repeated during meditation to help practitioners focus.\r\n\r\nIf you want to increase your website\'s performance and focus, I have come up with a mantra for you:\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Make it easier to find.</strong></p>\r\nIf you concentrate on this mantra, you will have a website where people have an easier time finding the information they want.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t, you will make your website users so frustrated that they will leave your website and will end up not doing business with you.\r\n\r\n<strong>Searching and searching</strong>\r\n\r\nThis morning, I decided to research CD rates at a local bank. First, I had to put in my zip code \"to get localized results.\" Then, I had to navigate to a \"Savings and CDs\" page. Then, I had to click on \"Savings Accounts and CD Options.\" Then, I had to click on \"Certificates of Deposit,\" and then scroll down to find the link for \"Interest Rates.\" To sum it up, I had to go through five different steps/clicks to find the information I was seeking.\r\n\r\n<strong>What do most people need and want to know?</strong>\r\n\r\nI think  going through five steps to find simple information is too many steps. It can be discouraging to have to keep clicking through various pages to get what you need. In the case of the bank, I assume the one thing most people research are rates. Every industry and business has to answer some questions more frequently than others. Restaurants, for example, may need to provide their menu, hours and location. Banks need to provide a list of services, current rates, hours and locations.\r\n\r\n<strong>The information your website visitors request the most, and need the most, needs to be easiest to find. It\'s that simple.</strong>\r\n\r\nSo repeat after me: make it easier to find. There, are you feeling a bit more zen?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A website mantra to help you achieve marketing nirvana','','publish','open','open','','a-website-mantra-to-help-you-achieve-marketing-nirvana','','','2017-03-07 13:24:11','2017-03-07 18:24:11','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3449',0,'post','',0),(3450,4,'2017-03-07 13:23:25','2017-03-07 18:23:25','A mantra is defined by<a href=\"https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mantra\" target=\"_blank\"> Merriam-Webste</a>r as a mystical formula of invocation or incantation. In Sanskrit, a mantra is a phrase, word, or sound that is repeated during meditation to help practitioners focus.\r\n\r\nIf you want to increase your website\'s performance and focus, I have come up with a mantra for you:\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Make it easier to find.</strong></p>\r\nIf you concentrate on this mantra, you will have a website where people have an easier time finding the information they want.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t, you will make your website users so frustrated that they will leave your website and will end up not doing business with you.\r\n\r\n<strong>Searching and searching</strong>\r\n\r\nThis morning, I decided to research CD rates at a local bank. First, I had to put in my zip code \"to get localized results.\" Then, I had to navigate to a \"Savings and CDs\" page. Then, I had to click on \"Savings Accounts and CD Options.\" Then, I had to click on \"Certificates of Deposit,\" and then scroll down to find the link for \"Interest Rates.\" To sum it up, I had to go through five different steps/clicks to find the information I was seeking.\r\n\r\n<strong>What do most people need and want to know?</strong>\r\n\r\nI think  going through five steps to find simple information is too many steps. It can be discouraging to have to keep clicking through various pages to get what you need. In the case of the bank, I assume the one thing most people research are rates. Every industry and business has to answer some questions more frequently than others. Restaurants, for example, may need to provide their menu, hours and location. Banks need to provide a list of services, current rates, hours and locations.\r\n\r\n<strong>The information your website visitors request the most, and need the most, needs to be easiest to find. It\'s that simple.</strong>\r\n\r\nSo repeat after me: make it easier to find. There, are you feeling a bit more zen?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A website mantra to help you achieve marketing nirvana','','inherit','open','open','','3449-revision-v1','','','2017-03-07 13:23:25','2017-03-07 18:23:25','',3449,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3449-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3453,4,'2017-03-16 09:47:28','2017-03-16 13:47:28','Yesterday, Bill Walsh, a copy editor for the Washington Post and author of three books on language, died. He was young--only 55. And he was liked and respected by his colleagues, copy editors everywhere, and by people who appreciate clean, readable copy.','The death of copy editing?','','inherit','open','open','','3452-revision-v1','','','2017-03-16 09:47:28','2017-03-16 13:47:28','',3452,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3452-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3454,4,'2017-03-16 14:00:03','2017-03-16 18:00:03','Yesterday, Bill Walsh, a copy editor for the<em> Washington Pos</em>t and author of three books on language, died. He was far too young--only 55--and a victim of cancer. He was liked and respected by his colleagues, copy editors everywhere, and by people who appreciate clean, readable copy (myself included).  His <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/bill-walsh-copy-editor-and-witty-authority-on-language-dies-at-55/2017/03/15/6bf9dea4-002e-11e7-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html?utm_term=.d4a1e9589dd4\" target=\"_blank\">obituary in the Post</a> is a worthwhile read.\r\n\r\nA couple of years ago, I had the good fortune to attend a copy editing workshop that Mr. Walsh was leading. He talked about his pet peeves (\"armed gunmen\" for example) and talked extensively about comma and hyphen use, among other topics. After the session, somebody asked him why there were so many copy errors in the <em>Washington Post</em>. He lamented that the shear quantity of copy (all that digital stuff) made it impossible to keep up. And of course, his department had suffered cuts.\r\n\r\nMore and more, news outlets have fewer copy editors or even none at all. Writers/reporters are expected to edit their own work, which, as anybody who has written anything, is damn near impossible to do successfully.\r\n\r\nCopy editing is not proofreading. Proofreading is about making sure that words are spelled correctly and/or are in the right place. Copy editing is far more than that. Copy editing is about making sure that the work makes sense and that it is accurate. It strives to improve readability and accessibility.\r\n\r\nBill Walsh was a celebrity copy editor (he had a following!). His insight and wit are irreplaceable. I hope that his main skill--copy editing--does not die along with him. He certainly transmitted his knowledge through his books and his workshops. But he couldn\'t stop the powers that be from making cuts to copy editing staff.\r\n\r\nWithout copy editors, readers are shortchanged with text that can be mistake-ridden and inaccurate. Copy editors are valuable and perform necessary work inside news organizations and indeed, any organization that puts out \"content.\"\r\n\r\nRest in peace, Bill Walsh. You and your skills will be be sorely missed.\r\n\r\nP.S. I don\'t have a copy editor, so any mistakes (and I am sure there are a few) are mine and mine alone.','The death of copy editing?','','inherit','open','open','','3452-revision-v1','','','2017-03-16 14:00:03','2017-03-16 18:00:03','',3452,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3452-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3456,4,'2017-03-21 10:12:13','2017-03-21 14:12:13','Perhaps you have a great tagline or you have a fantastic, limited time offer, and yet you are getting no response. It could be that few people are enticed by your offer, or that there is little demand for your product, or, maybe, just maybe, it is that that they (quite literally)<em> can\'t </em>see it.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is it that you do?</strong>\r\n\r\nYesterday,  I was in my car driving behind a commercial SUV, which had the name of the company written in green letters on the back of the truck. But for the life of me, I couldn\'t, make out what this company did because I could not read the line below the company name. I kept trying to figure out as I was driving a car length or so behind the truck. I finally came to a stop right behind this SUV, and it was only then that I was able to read the line saying it did plumbing. This company probably spent some money to have their company name, telephone and website painted on the back of their company SUV, and yet, it was done with such small letters that it was practically useless. Unless you were stopped right behind it, you would not know what it was.\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve driven around during the day, you will have seen any number of commercial trucks and cars, each with the name of the company painted on the side of the vehicle. If the name and service are prominent, and easy to read from a distance, there can be big benefits. It  creates brand recognition. It can also be free advertising. Say your heating system is on the fritz, and you see a truck for a heating company, you may make note of the name, and even the website and/or telephone number.\r\n\r\n<strong>Crammed with content, harder to read</strong>\r\n\r\nVerizon FIOS recently redesigned its On Demand screen. Everything is now more compact (about half of the previous iteration), and all sorts of information is crammed on the screen. To be able to fit all this stuff on the screen, the font size was reduced. The result is that it is hard to read the titles of the movies. And they also added the extra step of making you click on each title to see more information, including cost. It has become very frustrating for me to deal with this new On Demand screen, and as a result, I am no longer going there to see what movies are available.\r\n\r\nI am pretty certain that Verizon embarked on this redesign without consulting its users. I wonder if the company has seen any change in the amount of On Demand content users rent/buy now. Based on my experience, I would bet fewer people are getting stuff On Demand.\r\n\r\n<strong>Can your audience see it? Can they read it?</strong>\r\n\r\nYou must keep <strong>readability and visibility</strong> top of mind when you design or redesign any marketing material. If your audience cannot read your material, or cannot see it properly, then they cannot interact with it.','Can they read it?','','publish','open','open','','can-they-read-it','','','2017-03-21 10:12:13','2017-03-21 14:12:13','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3456',0,'post','',0),(3457,4,'2017-03-21 10:12:13','2017-03-21 14:12:13','Perhaps you have a great tagline or you have a fantastic, limited time offer, and yet you are getting no response. It could be that few people are enticed by your offer, or that there is little demand for your product, or, maybe, just maybe, it is that that they (quite literally)<em> can\'t </em>see it.\r\n\r\n<strong>What is it that you do?</strong>\r\n\r\nYesterday,  I was in my car driving behind a commercial SUV, which had the name of the company written in green letters on the back of the truck. But for the life of me, I couldn\'t, make out what this company did because I could not read the line below the company name. I kept trying to figure out as I was driving a car length or so behind the truck. I finally came to a stop right behind this SUV, and it was only then that I was able to read the line saying it did plumbing. This company probably spent some money to have their company name, telephone and website painted on the back of their company SUV, and yet, it was done with such small letters that it was practically useless. Unless you were stopped right behind it, you would not know what it was.\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve driven around during the day, you will have seen any number of commercial trucks and cars, each with the name of the company painted on the side of the vehicle. If the name and service are prominent, and easy to read from a distance, there can be big benefits. It  creates brand recognition. It can also be free advertising. Say your heating system is on the fritz, and you see a truck for a heating company, you may make note of the name, and even the website and/or telephone number.\r\n\r\n<strong>Crammed with content, harder to read</strong>\r\n\r\nVerizon FIOS recently redesigned its On Demand screen. Everything is now more compact (about half of the previous iteration), and all sorts of information is crammed on the screen. To be able to fit all this stuff on the screen, the font size was reduced. The result is that it is hard to read the titles of the movies. And they also added the extra step of making you click on each title to see more information, including cost. It has become very frustrating for me to deal with this new On Demand screen, and as a result, I am no longer going there to see what movies are available.\r\n\r\nI am pretty certain that Verizon embarked on this redesign without consulting its users. I wonder if the company has seen any change in the amount of On Demand content users rent/buy now. Based on my experience, I would bet fewer people are getting stuff On Demand.\r\n\r\n<strong>Can your audience see it? Can they read it?</strong>\r\n\r\nYou must keep <strong>readability and visibility</strong> top of mind when you design or redesign any marketing material. If your audience cannot read your material, or cannot see it properly, then they cannot interact with it.','Can they read it?','','inherit','open','open','','3456-revision-v1','','','2017-03-21 10:12:13','2017-03-21 14:12:13','',3456,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3456-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3458,4,'2017-03-28 11:24:57','2017-03-28 15:24:57','To paraphrase the opening line of <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em>, it was the best of practices and the worst of practices. Let me explain.\r\n\r\nIn the past few weeks, I\'ve attended two remarkably similar events put on by two different organizations. Both organizations are membership-based, advocacy/non-profits, and are local affiliates of a national organization. One organization clearly followed best practices, while the other appeared to have no idea how to make the most of a successful event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Organization A</strong>\r\n\r\nEvent description: Luncheon featuring a <em>Washington Post</em> reporter discussing the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $35.\r\n\r\nSign up: On the organization\'s website, taken to an outside website (PayPal) for payment. Receipt sent from PayPal but no acknowledgment from organization. No information or email list sign up captured.\r\n\r\nReminder for the event: None.\r\n\r\nFollow up after the event: None.\r\n\r\n<strong>Organization B</strong>\r\n\r\nEvent: Cocktail reception followed by panel discussion, featuring three White House correspondents, about the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $36.\r\n\r\nSign up: Through Eventbrite, which allows for email capture, branding, and payment on one page. (There are other benefits to using Eventbrite, including ability to sign in people, print labels, be listed on an events page, and others.) Tickets with event information sent from Eventbrite.\r\n\r\nReminder: Eventbrite sends a reminder two days ahead of the event.\r\n\r\nFollow up: Personalized thank you email from the organization\'s development director, including a program survey, and encouraging involvement in the organization and attendance at future events.\r\n<h3><strong>Five best practices </strong></h3>\r\n<strong>1. Have a hook</strong>\r\n\r\nKudos to both these organizations for their choice of speakers. Both events were very informative, lively and interesting. <strong>Hosting an interesting, topical event is a big draw for members and is attractive to non-members</strong>.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Use the right online tools</strong>\r\n\r\nThere are lots of online tools available to organizations, at all different prices, for various functions (event management, surveys, time management). They offer functionality such as being able to generate reports, charge credit cards, build email lists, communicate with attendees, and so forth. <strong>Using the right online tool will let you increase your organization\'s efficiency through automation and increased functionality.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Build your email list</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are a membership or donor-based organization it becomes extremely important to build and expand your email list. Having an event is a great way to attract new people, so it makes sense to get their email address so you can keep in touch. <strong>Automatically adding people that have signed up for an event to your email list is easy and smart.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Follow up after the event</strong>\r\n\r\nPresumably, by hosting an event, you have a goal for it. This goal could be to increase awareness, or increase your membership, or attract donations, etc. <strong>Following up after the event, reminding people of what you do and how they can be involved will go a long way to achieving your goal.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Survey your audience</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you want to continue to have successful programs, you\'ll need to know what attendees liked and didn\'t like. <strong>Asking attendees to rate your program and give suggestions is a great way to improve your future events.</strong>\r\n<h3><strong>It really was the best of times and the worst of times</strong></h3>\r\nOrganization B was much more sophisticated and tech-savvy than Organization A. It used online tools to make things easier, and it seemed to be clearer on the outcomes it wanted. Even though both organizations advocate, only Organization B had the foresight to build their email list to make advocacy happen.\r\n\r\nOrganization A, in effect, has put the onus on me if I want to be more involved in the future. If I want to see what programs are coming up, I will have to visit their website. Organization B is making my involvement and support easier. Since I will be getting B\'s emails about advocacy and events, I will be able to involved if I choose, without having to take an extra step to do it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A tale of two organizations and five best practices','','publish','open','open','','a-tale-of-two-organizations-and-five-best-practices','','','2017-03-28 11:24:57','2017-03-28 15:24:57','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3458',0,'post','',0),(3459,4,'2017-03-24 10:23:49','2017-03-24 14:23:49','In the past few weeks, I\'ve attended two remarkable similar events put on by two different organizations. Both organizations are membership-based, advocacy/non-profits, and are local affiliates of a national organization. I am not a member of either organization (yet).\r\n\r\nOrganization A\r\n\r\nEvent: Luncheon featuring a Washington Post reporter discussing the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $35.\r\n\r\nSign up: On the organization website, taken directly to PayPal. No information or email list sign up captured.\r\n\r\nReminder for the event: None.\r\n\r\nFollow up after the event: None.\r\n\r\nOrganization B\r\n\r\nEvent: Cocktail reception followed by panel discussion featuring three White House correspondents about the challenges of covering the Trump Administration.\r\n\r\nSign up: Through EventBrite, which allows for email capture,\r\n\r\nReminder: EventBrite sends a reminder two days ahead of the event.\r\n\r\nFollow up: Personalized thank you email from development director, including a program survey, and encouraging involvement in the organization and attendance at future events.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A tale of two organizations and one good outcome','','inherit','open','open','','3458-revision-v1','','','2017-03-24 10:23:49','2017-03-24 14:23:49','',3458,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3458-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3460,4,'2017-03-24 11:34:36','2017-03-24 15:34:36','It was the best of times and the worst of times....\r\n\r\nAs the famous opening line to Charles Dickens\' classic A Tale of Two Cities indicates, you can have two opposite situations going on at the same time. So was my experience with two different organizations.\r\n\r\nIn the past few weeks, I\'ve attended two remarkable similar events put on by two different organizations. Both organizations are membership-based, advocacy/non-profits, and are local affiliates of a national organization. I am not a member of either organization (yet).\r\n\r\nOrganization A (worst)\r\n\r\nEvent: Luncheon featuring a Washington Post reporter discussing the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $35.\r\n\r\nSign up: On the organization website, taken directly to PayPal. No information or email list sign up captured.\r\n\r\nReminder for the event: None.\r\n\r\nFollow up after the event: None.\r\n\r\nOrganization B (best)\r\n\r\nEvent: Cocktail reception followed by panel discussion featuring three White House correspondents about the challenges of covering the Trump Administration.\r\n\r\nSign up: Through EventBrite, which allows for email capture,\r\n\r\nReminder: EventBrite sends a reminder two days ahead of the event.\r\n\r\nFollow up: Personalized thank you email from development director, including a program survey, and encouraging involvement in the organization and attendance at future events.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A tale of two organizations and one good outcome','','inherit','open','open','','3458-revision-v1','','','2017-03-24 11:34:36','2017-03-24 15:34:36','',3458,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3458-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3547,4,'2017-08-15 11:35:52','2017-08-15 15:35:52','<strong>We need your support and we will interrupt you viewing until you give us money!</strong>\r\n\r\nThis seems to be the PBS mission during its pledge drive\r\n\r\nCurrently, it\'s the upteenth day during the upteenth time this year that my local PBS station, WETA, is looking for support from viewers. It may not be endless, but it sure feels like it.\r\n\r\nPledge month (?) is the time when the station starts playing \"specials\" that have been played dozens of times before, and interrupting them every fifteen minutes to ask for your support. In return, you will get any number of mugs/bags/videos/books based on the size of your contribution. Also, every other show seems to get interrupted--the Newshour, Washington Week, and most egregiously, the finale of the Great British Baking Show.\r\n\r\n<strong>Enough!</strong>\r\n\r\nViewers like me do not like to watch tired, old \"specials.\" Viewers like me hate having shows interrupted multiple times by the same talking heads giving repetitious pitches on why to give to the station. Viewers like me do not want mugs or tote bags. Viewers like me click off PBS the instant this pledge madness starts.\r\n\r\n<strong>How can this model work today?</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a newsflash for PBS: Times have changed.\r\n\r\n<em>Hundreds of viewing options</em>\r\n\r\nAll TV channels are under intense competition—both for viewers and for advertising dollars. This is because viewers have many more options for entertainment than ever before: There are hundreds of cable and streaming channels, and also an internet chock-full of stuff to watch, read, react to and interact with.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s an on-demand world</em>\r\n\r\nWith DVRs and/or access to content on demand, people can watch shows on whatever schedule they choose. They can ignore advertising (and pledge drives).\r\n\r\n<em>There\'s a streaming channel for that</em>\r\n\r\nIt used to be that you could only watch British shows like Downton Abbey or Inspector Morse on PBS. Now, you can stream them on specialized British TV/movies channels, and even watch them on Netflix.\r\n\r\n<em>Watch TV wherever you are, whenever you want</em>\r\n\r\nSmartphones and tablets can access the internet anywhere and everywhere. And users of these devices can buy/rent/download all sorts of entertainment to watch even when there is no internet access.\r\n\r\n<strong>Interrupting viewer with a push-message is really old school</strong>\r\n\r\nThese days, inbound marketing is in favor. That\'s when potential customers/supporters come to you because you are providing great content/reasons for them to interact and buy/support from you. Forcing yourself on viewers, like the pledge drive on PBS does, is the complete opposite. It assumes a static audience that does not have any option but to sit there and listen to a sales pitch. It assumes that pushing a message is the best way to get action. It\'s the old way of doing things. And it may help PBS shed viewers, not gain them.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is annoying viewers for a $60 donation the best way to keep PBS afloat?</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you are aiming for lots of small donations, you have to do a lot more work. In this case, it means interrupting viewing more times, more often. It gets annoying. It\'s a turn-off. And I don\'t believe it\'s effective. I think it would be far more effective to concentrate on getting and retaining big, corporate or foundation sponsorships.\r\n\r\nI understand PBS wants community support too. Perhaps instead of asking viewers to donate, PBS could emphasize obtaining a yearly membership with (real) special benefits (currently this is not clear on the PBS website). Instead of having pledge drives, PBS could include a 15-second ad/message for membership before popular shows.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you watch PBS? Do you support PBS? Why or why not?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does PBS get the support of viewers like you? ','','inherit','open','open','','3546-revision-v1','','','2017-08-15 11:35:52','2017-08-15 15:35:52','',3546,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3546-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3463,4,'2017-03-28 11:05:09','2017-03-28 15:05:09','To paraphrase the opening line of <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em>, it was the best of practices and the worst of practices. Let me explain.\r\n\r\nIn the past few weeks, I\'ve attended two remarkably similar events put on by two different organizations. Both organizations are membership-based, advocacy/non-profits, and are local affiliates of a national organization. One organization clearly followed best practices, while the other appeared to have no idea how to make the most of a successful event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Organization A</strong>\r\n\r\nEvent description: Luncheon featuring a <em>Washington Post</em> reporter discussing the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $35.\r\n\r\nSign up: On the organization\'s website, taken directly to PayPal. No information or email list sign up captured.\r\n\r\nReminder for the event: None.\r\n\r\nFollow up after the event: None.\r\n\r\n<strong>Organization B</strong>\r\n\r\nEvent: Cocktail reception followed by panel discussion, featuring three White House correspondents, about the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $36.\r\n\r\nSign up: Through EventBrite, which allows for email capture, branding, and payment on one page. (There are other benefits to using EventBrite, including ability to sign in people, print labels, be listed on an events page, and others.)\r\n\r\nReminder: EventBrite sends a reminder two days ahead of the event.\r\n\r\nFollow up: Personalized thank you email from the organization\'s development director, including a program survey, and encouraging involvement in the organization and attendance at future events.\r\n<h3><strong>Four best practices </strong></h3>\r\n<strong>1. A hook</strong>\r\n\r\nKudos to both these organizations for their choice of speakers. Both events were very interesting. <strong>Hosting an interesting, topical event is a big draw for members and is attractive to non-members</strong>.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Building an email list</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are a membership or donor-based organization it becomes extremely important to build and expand your email list. Having an event is a great way to attract new people, so it makes sense to get their email organization. <strong>Automatically adding people that have signed up for an event to your email list is easy and smart.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Following up after the event</strong>\r\n\r\nPresumably, by hosting an event, you have a goal for it.  This goal could be to increase awareness, or increase your membership, or attract donations, etc. <strong>Following up after the event, reminding people of what you do and how they can be involved will go a long way to achieving your goal.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Program surveys</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you want to continue to have successful programs, you\'ll need to know what attendees liked and didn\'t like. <strong>Asking attendees to rate your program and give suggestions is a great way to improve your future events.</strong>\r\n<h3><strong>It really was the best of times and the worst of times</strong></h3>\r\nOrganization B was much more sophisticated than Organization A. It used online tools to make things easier, and it seemed to be clearer to the outcomes it wanted. Even though both organizations advocate, only one organization had the foresight to build their email list to make advocacy happen.\r\n\r\nOrganization A, in effect, has put the onus on me if I want to be more involved in the future. If I want to see what programs are coming up, I will have to visit their website. Organization B is making my involvement and support easier. Since I will be getting B\'s emails about advocacy and events, I will be able to involved if I choose, without having to think about it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A tale of two organizations and one good outcome','','inherit','open','open','','3458-revision-v1','','','2017-03-28 11:05:09','2017-03-28 15:05:09','',3458,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3458-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3464,4,'2017-03-28 11:24:17','2017-03-28 15:24:17','To paraphrase the opening line of <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em>, it was the best of practices and the worst of practices. Let me explain.\r\n\r\nIn the past few weeks, I\'ve attended two remarkably similar events put on by two different organizations. Both organizations are membership-based, advocacy/non-profits, and are local affiliates of a national organization. One organization clearly followed best practices, while the other appeared to have no idea how to make the most of a successful event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Organization A</strong>\r\n\r\nEvent description: Luncheon featuring a <em>Washington Post</em> reporter discussing the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $35.\r\n\r\nSign up: On the organization\'s website, taken to an outside website (PayPal) for payment. Receipt sent from PayPal but no acknowledgment from organization. No information or email list sign up captured.\r\n\r\nReminder for the event: None.\r\n\r\nFollow up after the event: None.\r\n\r\n<strong>Organization B</strong>\r\n\r\nEvent: Cocktail reception followed by panel discussion, featuring three White House correspondents, about the challenges of covering the Trump Administration. Cost was $36.\r\n\r\nSign up: Through Eventbrite, which allows for email capture, branding, and payment on one page. (There are other benefits to using Eventbrite, including ability to sign in people, print labels, be listed on an events page, and others.) Tickets with event information sent from Eventbrite.\r\n\r\nReminder: Eventbrite sends a reminder two days ahead of the event.\r\n\r\nFollow up: Personalized thank you email from the organization\'s development director, including a program survey, and encouraging involvement in the organization and attendance at future events.\r\n<h3><strong>Five best practices </strong></h3>\r\n<strong>1. Have a hook</strong>\r\n\r\nKudos to both these organizations for their choice of speakers. Both events were very informative, lively and interesting. <strong>Hosting an interesting, topical event is a big draw for members and is attractive to non-members</strong>.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Use the right online tools</strong>\r\n\r\nThere are lots of online tools available to organizations, at all different prices, for various functions (event management, surveys, time management). They offer functionality such as being able to generate reports, charge credit cards, build email lists, communicate with attendees, and so forth. <strong>Using the right online tool will let you increase your organization\'s efficiency through automation and increased functionality.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Build your email list</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are a membership or donor-based organization it becomes extremely important to build and expand your email list. Having an event is a great way to attract new people, so it makes sense to get their email address so you can keep in touch. <strong>Automatically adding people that have signed up for an event to your email list is easy and smart.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Follow up after the event</strong>\r\n\r\nPresumably, by hosting an event, you have a goal for it. This goal could be to increase awareness, or increase your membership, or attract donations, etc. <strong>Following up after the event, reminding people of what you do and how they can be involved will go a long way to achieving your goal.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Survey your audience</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you want to continue to have successful programs, you\'ll need to know what attendees liked and didn\'t like. <strong>Asking attendees to rate your program and give suggestions is a great way to improve your future events.</strong>\r\n<h3><strong>It really was the best of times and the worst of times</strong></h3>\r\nOrganization B was much more sophisticated and tech-savvy than Organization A. It used online tools to make things easier, and it seemed to be clearer on the outcomes it wanted. Even though both organizations advocate, only Organization B had the foresight to build their email list to make advocacy happen.\r\n\r\nOrganization A, in effect, has put the onus on me if I want to be more involved in the future. If I want to see what programs are coming up, I will have to visit their website. Organization B is making my involvement and support easier. Since I will be getting B\'s emails about advocacy and events, I will be able to involved if I choose, without having to take an extra step to do it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','A tale of two organizations and five best practices','','inherit','open','open','','3458-revision-v1','','','2017-03-28 11:24:17','2017-03-28 15:24:17','',3458,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/03/3458-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3466,4,'2017-04-05 13:44:18','2017-04-05 17:44:18','There\'s a real estate guy who specializes in selling homes in my neighborhood. He is very eager to work with me. I know this because I receive marketing stuff from him constantly. I get a jar of (branded) apple butter on my doorstep every fall. I get a property report, hung on my doorknob on a quarterly basis. I get a magnetic calendar every December. All told, I get at least six direct marketing pieces from this guy every year. As does everyone in my community.\r\n\r\nAs a communications consultant, I understand what his rationale and motivations may be:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Gain/retain name recognition</li>\r\n	<li>Stand out from the crowd</li>\r\n	<li>Appear neighborly</li>\r\n	<li>Show he is local and understands the community.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOn a personal basis, I feel this guy is making way too much of an effort to get my business. And I feel his marketing efforts are intrusive.\r\n\r\nBut is this real estate guy doing too much marketing? The answer comes down to doing some calculations (yes, there\'s math involved).\r\n\r\n<strong>The true test of whether you are doing too much marketing has to do with the value of a customer and how much you are willing to spend to acquire said customer.</strong>\r\n<h3>The value of a customer</h3>\r\nYour first calculation will be to determine the value of a customer. To do this, you, will have to calculate how much money a customer\'s business generates for you, in terms of current transaction, future transactions, and also including the potential value of any referred business.\r\n<h3>Your marketing costs</h3>\r\nThe second calculation you will have to do is to figure out how much you are spending on marketing. To do this tally up all marketing related costs such as printing, advertising spending, distribution, consulting/design fees, website, memberships, and so forth. You may also want to include your time.\r\n<h3>Cost per acquisition</h3>\r\nYour final calculation is to figure out your acquisition cost per customer. So say you spent $10,000 on marketing in a year. You obtained five customers from that marketing effort. That means  you spent $2,000 per customer acquired.\r\n<h3>Which means</h3>\r\nIf the spending to acquire each customer exceeds the value of the customer to your business, you acquisition cost may be too high.\r\n\r\nI don\'t know how much the real estate guy spends on his marketing, nor do I know what value his customers generate, but I sure hope he has done this calculation. If not, he may be doing too much marketing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Doing too much marketing?','','publish','open','open','','doing-too-much-marketing','','','2017-04-05 13:44:18','2017-04-05 17:44:18','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3466',0,'post','',0),(3467,4,'2017-04-05 13:41:57','2017-04-05 17:41:57','There\'s a real estate guy who specializes in selling homes in my neighborhood. He is very eager to work with me. I know this because I receive marketing stuff from him constantly. I get a jar of (branded) apple butter on my doorstep every fall. I get a property report, hung on my doorknob on a quarterly basis. I get a magnetic calendar every December. All told, I get at least six direct marketing pieces from this guy every year. As does everyone in my community.\r\n\r\nAs a communications consultant, I understand what his rationale and motivations may be:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Gain/retain name recognition</li>\r\n	<li>Stand out from the crowd</li>\r\n	<li>Appear neighborly</li>\r\n	<li>Show he is local and understands the community.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBut on a personal basis, I feel this guy is making way too much of an effort to get my business. And I feel his marketing efforts are intrusive.\r\n\r\nBut is this real estate guy doing too much marketing? The answer comes down to doing some calculations (yes, there\'s math involved).\r\n\r\n<strong>The true test of whether you are doing too much marketing has to do with the value of a customer and how much you are willing to spend to acquire said customer.</strong>\r\n<h3>The value of a customer</h3>\r\nYour first calculation will be to determine the value of a customer. To do this, you, will have to calculate how much money a customer\'s business generates for you, in terms of current transaction, future transactions, and also including the potential value of any referred business.\r\n<h3>Your marketing costs</h3>\r\nThe second calculation you will have to do is to figure out how much you are spending on marketing. To do this tally up all marketing related costs such as printing, advertising spending, distribution, consulting/design fees, website, memberships, and so forth. You may also want to include your time.\r\n<h3>Cost per acquisition</h3>\r\nYour final calculation is to figure out your acquisition cost per customer. So say you spent $10,000 on marketing in a year. You obtained five customers from that marketing effort. That means  you spent $2,000 per customer acquired.\r\n<h3>Which means</h3>\r\nIf the spending to acquire each customer exceeds the value of the customer to your business, you acquisition cost may be too high.\r\n\r\nI don\'t know how much the real estate guy spends on his marketing, nor do I know what value his customers generate, but I sure hope he has done this calculation. If not, he may be doing too much marketing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Doing too much marketing?','','inherit','open','open','','3466-revision-v1','','','2017-04-05 13:41:57','2017-04-05 17:41:57','',3466,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3466-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3468,4,'2017-04-05 13:44:18','2017-04-05 17:44:18','There\'s a real estate guy who specializes in selling homes in my neighborhood. He is very eager to work with me. I know this because I receive marketing stuff from him constantly. I get a jar of (branded) apple butter on my doorstep every fall. I get a property report, hung on my doorknob on a quarterly basis. I get a magnetic calendar every December. All told, I get at least six direct marketing pieces from this guy every year. As does everyone in my community.\r\n\r\nAs a communications consultant, I understand what his rationale and motivations may be:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Gain/retain name recognition</li>\r\n	<li>Stand out from the crowd</li>\r\n	<li>Appear neighborly</li>\r\n	<li>Show he is local and understands the community.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOn a personal basis, I feel this guy is making way too much of an effort to get my business. And I feel his marketing efforts are intrusive.\r\n\r\nBut is this real estate guy doing too much marketing? The answer comes down to doing some calculations (yes, there\'s math involved).\r\n\r\n<strong>The true test of whether you are doing too much marketing has to do with the value of a customer and how much you are willing to spend to acquire said customer.</strong>\r\n<h3>The value of a customer</h3>\r\nYour first calculation will be to determine the value of a customer. To do this, you, will have to calculate how much money a customer\'s business generates for you, in terms of current transaction, future transactions, and also including the potential value of any referred business.\r\n<h3>Your marketing costs</h3>\r\nThe second calculation you will have to do is to figure out how much you are spending on marketing. To do this tally up all marketing related costs such as printing, advertising spending, distribution, consulting/design fees, website, memberships, and so forth. You may also want to include your time.\r\n<h3>Cost per acquisition</h3>\r\nYour final calculation is to figure out your acquisition cost per customer. So say you spent $10,000 on marketing in a year. You obtained five customers from that marketing effort. That means  you spent $2,000 per customer acquired.\r\n<h3>Which means</h3>\r\nIf the spending to acquire each customer exceeds the value of the customer to your business, you acquisition cost may be too high.\r\n\r\nI don\'t know how much the real estate guy spends on his marketing, nor do I know what value his customers generate, but I sure hope he has done this calculation. If not, he may be doing too much marketing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Doing too much marketing?','','inherit','open','open','','3466-revision-v1','','','2017-04-05 13:44:18','2017-04-05 17:44:18','',3466,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3466-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3470,4,'2017-04-12 13:09:56','2017-04-12 17:09:56','This week featured two highly publicized and far-reaching media crises. One was the United Airlines situation, where a passenger was forcibly removed (and hurt in the process) from the plane, after he had been seated and had not agreed to \"voluntarily\" leave the aircraft. And the other involved White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who clumsily compared Syria\'s Bashar al-Assad to Adolf Hitler, and then showed great ignorance about just what Hitler did during World War II.\r\n<h3>Twitter outrage</h3>\r\nI saw both these situations unfold on social media (specifically, Twitter), and was able to add my observations to many others, both using hashtags and Twitter handles. Social media outrage appears to have caused both United and Sean Spicer to apologize profusely for their mistakes. In today\'s <em>Washington Post</em>, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-twitter-mob-serves-a-purpose-bill-oreilly-and-united-prove-it/2017/04/11/812f5242-1ef9-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html?utm_term=.91cfc106ec8d\" target=\"_blank\">Kathleen Parker argues</a> that in the United case, the Twitter outrage (or \"mob\" as she calls it) was able to bring the situation to light and make change happen.\r\n\r\nIt seems that we have more media crises these days than before--but like Parker argues, what has changed is the ability to get these situations in front of more people, more quickly, through social media. So, in fact, we may not be having more crises, but rather more exposure for and to these crises.\r\n<h3>Changes...</h3>\r\nIt seems that United, and to some degree Sean Spicer, have still not adapted or recognized that the media landscape has changed dramatically. Anyone with internet access and a social media account can share their ideas, opinions, facts and more damning, their video. Also, anyone with a smartphone has the ability to create video on the spot, and then share it immediately.\r\n\r\nTen years ago, if a passenger had been dragged off a plane, there would have been no record of it outside of the memories of the other passengers on the plane. Similarly, Sean Spicer\'s words would have received criticism later (if at all), not during his press briefing. Fewer people would\'ve been exposed to these situations.\r\n<h3>More \"eyeballs\" available</h3>\r\nToday\'s media crises are happening not because spokespeople and companies are screwing up more, but because more people are seeing it happen. It would behoove any public relations/communications practitioner to internalize that most everything can be publicized very quickly, and may even have incontrovertible visual proof with it.','Are we seeing more media crises?','','publish','open','open','','are-we-seeing-more-media-crises','','','2017-04-12 13:09:56','2017-04-12 17:09:56','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3470',0,'post','',0),(3471,4,'2017-04-12 12:53:27','2017-04-12 16:53:27','This week featured two highly publicized and far-reaching media crises. One was the United Airlines situation, where a passenger was forcibly removed (and hurt in the process) from the plane, after he had been seated and had not agreed to \"voluntarily\" leave the aircraft. And the other involved White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who clumsily compared Syria\'s Bashar al-Assad to Adolf Hitler, and then showed great ignorance about just what Hitler did during World War II.\r\n\r\nI saw both these situations unfold on social media (specifically, Twitter), and was able to add my observations to many others, both using hashtags and Twitter handles.','Are we seeing more media crises?','','inherit','open','open','','3470-revision-v1','','','2017-04-12 12:53:27','2017-04-12 16:53:27','',3470,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3470-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3472,4,'2017-04-12 13:08:53','2017-04-12 17:08:53','This week featured two highly publicized and far-reaching media crises. One was the United Airlines situation, where a passenger was forcibly removed (and hurt in the process) from the plane, after he had been seated and had not agreed to \"voluntarily\" leave the aircraft. And the other involved White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who clumsily compared Syria\'s Bashar al-Assad to Adolf Hitler, and then showed great ignorance about just what Hitler did during World War II.\r\n<h3>Twitter outrage</h3>\r\nI saw both these situations unfold on social media (specifically, Twitter), and was able to add my observations to many others, both using hashtags and Twitter handles. Social media outrage appears to have caused both United and Sean Spicer to apologize profusely for their mistakes. In today\'s <em>Washington Post</em>, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-twitter-mob-serves-a-purpose-bill-oreilly-and-united-prove-it/2017/04/11/812f5242-1ef9-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html?utm_term=.91cfc106ec8d\" target=\"_blank\">Kathleen Parker argues</a> that in the United case, the Twitter outrage (or \"mob\" as she calls it) was able to bring the situation to light and make change happen.\r\n\r\nIt seems that we have more media crises these days than before--but like Parker argues, what has changed is the ability to get these situations in front of more people, more quickly, through social media. So, in fact, we may not be having more crises, but rather more exposure for and to these crises.\r\n<h3>Changes...</h3>\r\nIt seems that United, and to some degree Sean Spicer, have still not adapted or recognized that the media landscape has changed dramatically. Anyone with internet access and a social media account can share their ideas, opinions, facts and more damning, their video. Also, anyone with a smartphone has the ability to create video on the spot, and then share it immediately.\r\n\r\nTen years ago, if a passenger had been dragged off a plane, there would have been no record of it outside of the memories of the other passengers on the plane. Similarly, Sean Spicer\'s words would have received criticism later (if at all), not during his press briefing. Fewer people would\'ve been exposed to these situations.\r\n<h3>More \"eyeballs\" available</h3>\r\nToday\'s media crises are happening not because spokespeople and companies are screwing up more, but because more people are seeing it happen. It would behoove any public relations/communications practitioner to internalize that most everything can be publicized very quickly, and may even have incontrovertible visual proof with it.','Are we seeing more media crises?','','inherit','open','open','','3470-revision-v1','','','2017-04-12 13:08:53','2017-04-12 17:08:53','',3470,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3470-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3473,4,'2017-04-19 12:30:31','2017-04-19 16:30:31','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/75c3f9\" target=\"_blank\">April 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/792b39\" target=\"_blank\">December 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a051e8\" target=\"_blank\">October 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"August 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/359a88\" target=\"_blank\">August 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d841f7\" target=\"_blank\">June 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a50a67\" target=\"_blank\">March 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d7ed27\" target=\"_blank\">January 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/987fe6\" target=\"_blank\">November 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2017-04-19 12:30:31','2017-04-19 16:30:31','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3474,4,'2017-04-21 08:56:37','2017-04-21 12:56:37','<em>THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED.</em>\r\n\r\nWhat is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude. Following are five points to being a better communicator.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s really important.</strong>\r\n\r\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\r\n\r\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed above? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>UPDATE:</strong>\r\n\r\nI am not the only one who thinks Spicer is bad at what he does. Today, New York Magazine had this post: <a href=\"http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/by-being-bad-at-his-job-spicer-nearly-causes-market-panic.html?mid=facebook_nymag\" target=\"_blank\">By Being Bad at His Job, Sean Spicer Nearly Causes Market Panic. </a>Because Spicer does not bother to learn his subject well, he says inaccurate things, and in his role, his statements have consequences.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','publish','open','open','','how-to-be-better-at-communication-than-sean-spicer','','','2017-04-28 09:31:17','2017-04-28 13:31:17','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3474',0,'post','',0),(3475,4,'2017-04-20 10:35:30','2017-04-20 14:35:30','If anything, Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better practitioners of communication than others. Spicer is not an example of how to do it well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there).  When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for Spicer and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using. If you think you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility. Unless you have the numbers to back it up (the best solution according to 100% of respondents), it’s best to leave the hyperbole to the\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that he becomes the story.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-20 10:35:30','2017-04-20 14:35:30','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3476,4,'2017-04-20 10:38:47','2017-04-20 14:38:47','If anything, Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better practitioners of communication than others. Spicer is not an example of how to do it well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for Spicer and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility. Unless you have the numbers to back it up (the best solution according to 100% of respondents), it’s best to leave the hyperbole to the\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-20 10:38:47','2017-04-20 14:38:47','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3478,4,'2017-04-20 13:27:39','2017-04-20 17:27:39','What is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility. Unless you have the numbers to back it up (the best solution according to 100% of respondents), it’s best to leave the hyperbole to the\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-20 13:27:39','2017-04-20 17:27:39','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3479,4,'2017-04-21 08:53:14','2017-04-21 12:53:14','What is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility. Unless you have the numbers to back it up (the best solution according to 100% of respondents), it’s best to leave the hyperbole to the\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\nIt\'s really important.\r\n\r\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\r\n\r\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed before? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-21 08:53:14','2017-04-21 12:53:14','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3480,4,'2017-04-21 08:54:03','2017-04-21 12:54:03','What is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility. Unless you have the numbers to back it up (the best solution according to 100% of respondents), it’s best to leave the hyperbole to the\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Be likeable</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s really important.</strong>\r\n\r\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\r\n\r\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed before? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-21 08:54:03','2017-04-21 12:54:03','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3481,4,'2017-04-21 08:56:01','2017-04-21 12:56:01','What is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude. Following are five points to being a better communicator.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility. Unless you have the numbers to back it up (the best solution according to 100% of respondents), it’s best to leave the hyperbole to the\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s really important.</strong>\r\n\r\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\r\n\r\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed above? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-21 08:56:01','2017-04-21 12:56:01','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3482,4,'2017-04-24 10:22:02','2017-04-24 14:22:02','What is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude. Following are five points to being a better communicator.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s really important.</strong>\r\n\r\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\r\n\r\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed above? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-24 10:22:02','2017-04-24 14:22:02','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3483,4,'2017-04-27 10:00:41','2017-04-27 14:00:41','<strong>United learns the hard way what\'s important</strong>\r\n\r\nAs you no doubt have seen by now, United Airlines has been forced to make several changes in the wake of the customer abuse incident seen around the world (where a passenger was forcibly removed from a plane and injured in the process). United has now released a report that concludes it let company policies trump customer\'s rights, and is now making changes to focus on the customer. You can read more details in this Washington Post article: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/04/27/united-dragging-report-our-review-shows-that-many-things-went-wrong-that-day/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_united145am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&amp;utm_term=.a75c489f1172\" target=\"_blank\">United dragging report: \'Our review shows that many things went wrong that day.\'</a>  Also, today, United placed a full-page ad in the Washington Post (and I assume other large dailies) apologizing for its actions and outlining the policy changes.\r\n\r\nIt took very negative publicity and its consequences to make United realize that customers are the reason for being of any company. Without customers, a company simply does not exist. We know that companies that are more customer focused are also better regarded and therefore more successful. Southwest Airlines comes to mind.\r\n\r\n<strong>UX is about your customers</strong>\r\n\r\nAll this brings me to UX (user experience) and how important it is. UX is being customer- focused when it comes to designing your website/app. If you don\'t consider UX when you design, you are not being customer-friendly. It\'s that simple.\r\n\r\n<strong>Verizon FIOS On Demand versus Fandango Movies on Roku</strong>\r\n\r\nTake the example of Verizon FIOS\' On Demand screen versus  Roku\'s Fandango Movies  screen.\r\n\r\nVerizon re-designed their On Demand screen a couple of months ago. They made fonts and images smaller, they crowded the images together and they changed the categories. Adding to that, the background is dark, making it hard to see the writing. To find out whether a movie is available for purchase or rental, you have to click on the title and only then will you be able to see what it costs.\r\n\r\nFandango has several categories on the left hand side of the screen, starting with \"New movies to buy\" and New movies to rent.\" The background is a light color, the images are slightly bigger than Verizon\'s, and easy to read. Just by scrolling through the titles you can see the price of the movie, its Rotten Tomatoes rating, its MPAA rating, and its length.\r\n\r\nFandango most definitely considered UX when designing its movie screen. It\'s clear they thought about how customers search for movies, and what information (cost, time commitment, ratings) they need to make a decision. In contrast, the Verizon On Demand screen UX is plain horrible. It\'s hard to search, hard to find the information you need, and in my opinion, it\'s just ugly. Oh, and Fandango movie rentals cost less than Verizon\'s.\r\n\r\n<strong>Think about your customers, and it will pay off</strong>\r\n\r\nIn my case, I have been renting movies from Fandango and not from Verizon. I definitely find the Fandango interface easier to deal with. Additionally, I voiced my concerns to Verizon, and so far, they\'ve made no changes. I don\'t know if the redesign has affected sales, but I wouldn\'t be surprised.\r\n\r\nYour customers and their experience with your company/brand/organization has to be your first concern. If customers are mistreated, they simply will not come back. And in this age of social media, any negative publicity is amplified. Your customer\'s bad experience can be shared over and over.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being customer-focused and thinking about their user experience will go a long a way in making any organization successful.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Successful companies are customer-focused','','publish','open','open','','successful-companies-are-customer-focused','','','2017-04-27 10:00:41','2017-04-27 14:00:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3483',0,'post','',0),(3484,4,'2017-04-27 08:59:23','2017-04-27 12:59:23','As you have no doubt seen by now, United Airlines has been forced to make several changes in the wake of the customer abuse incident seen around the world (where a passenger was forcibly removed from a plane and injured in the process).  United has now released a report that concludes it let company policies trump customer\'s rights, and is now making changes to focus on the customer. You can read more details in this Washington Post article: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/04/27/united-dragging-report-our-review-shows-that-many-things-went-wrong-that-day/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_united145am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&amp;utm_term=.a75c489f1172\" target=\"_blank\">United dragging report: \'Our review shows that many things went wrong that day.\'</a>  Also, today, United placed a full-page ad in the Washington Post (and I assume other large dailies) apologizing for its actions and outlining the policy changes.\r\n\r\nIt took very negative publicity and its consequences to make United realize that customers are the reason for being of any company. Without customers, a company simply does not exist. We know that companies that are more customer focused are also better regarded and therefore more successful. Southwest Airlines comes to mind.\r\n\r\nAll this brings me to UX (user experience) and how important it is. UX is being customer focused when it comes to designing your website/app. If you don\'t consider UX when you design, you are not being customer friendly. It\'s that simple.\r\n\r\nTake for example Verizon FIOS\' On Demand screen versus Fandango\'s Movie screen.  Verizon\r\n\r\nI\'ve written before about Verizon and how it seems to be not focused on its customers.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Successful companies are customer focused','','inherit','open','open','','3483-revision-v1','','','2017-04-27 08:59:23','2017-04-27 12:59:23','',3483,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3483-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3485,4,'2017-04-27 09:53:03','2017-04-27 13:53:03','<strong>United learns the hard way what\'s important</strong>\r\n\r\nAs you have no doubt seen by now, United Airlines has been forced to make several changes in the wake of the customer abuse incident seen around the world (where a passenger was forcibly removed from a plane and injured in the process).  United has now released a report that concludes it let company policies trump customer\'s rights, and is now making changes to focus on the customer. You can read more details in this Washington Post article: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/04/27/united-dragging-report-our-review-shows-that-many-things-went-wrong-that-day/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_united145am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&amp;utm_term=.a75c489f1172\" target=\"_blank\">United dragging report: \'Our review shows that many things went wrong that day.\'</a>  Also, today, United placed a full-page ad in the Washington Post (and I assume other large dailies) apologizing for its actions and outlining the policy changes.\r\n\r\nIt took very negative publicity and its consequences to make United realize that customers are the reason for being of any company. Without customers, a company simply does not exist. We know that companies that are more customer focused are also better regarded and therefore more successful. Southwest Airlines comes to mind.\r\n\r\n<strong>UX is about your customers</strong>\r\n\r\nAll this brings me to UX (user experience) and how important it is. UX is being customer focused when it comes to designing your website/app. If you don\'t consider UX when you design, you are not being customer friendly. It\'s that simple.\r\n\r\n<strong>Verizon FIOS On Demand versus Fandango Movies on Roku</strong>\r\n\r\nTake the example of Verizon FIOS\' On Demand screen versus  Roku\'s Fandango Movies  screen.\r\n\r\nVerizon re-designed their On Demand screen a couple of months ago. They made fonts and images smaller, they crowded the images together and they changed the categories. Adding to that, the background is dark, making it hard to see the writing. To find out whether a movie is available for purchase or rental, you have to click on the title and only then will you be able to see what it costs.\r\n\r\nFandango has several categories on the left hand side of the screen, starting with \"New movies to buy\" and New movies to rent.\" The background is a light color, the images are a bigger than Verizon\'s, and easy to read. Just by scrolling through the titles you can see the price of the movie, its Rotten Tomatoes rating, its MPAA rating and its length.\r\n\r\nFandango most definitely considered UX when designing this screen. It\'s clear they thought about how customers search for movies, and what information (cost, time commitment, ratings) they need to make a decision. In contrast, the Verizon On Demand screen UX is plain horrible.It\'s hard to search, hard to find the information you need and in my opinion, it\'s a turn-off. Oh, and Fandango movie rentals cost less than Verizon\'s.\r\n\r\n<strong>Think about your customers, and it will pay off</strong>\r\n\r\nIn my case, I have been renting movies from Fandango and not from Verizon. I definitely find the Fandango interface easier to deal with. Additionally, I voiced my concerns to Verizon, and so far, they\'ve made no changes. I don\'t know if the redesign has affected sales, but I wouldn\'t be surprised.\r\n\r\nYour customers and their experience with your company/brand/organization has to be your first concern. If customers are mistreated, they simply will not come back. And in this age of social media, any negative publicity is amplified. Your customer\'s bad experience can be shared over and over. Being customer focused goes a long a way in making any organization successful.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Successful companies are customer-focused','','inherit','open','open','','3483-revision-v1','','','2017-04-27 09:53:03','2017-04-27 13:53:03','',3483,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3483-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3486,4,'2017-04-27 10:00:41','2017-04-27 14:00:41','<strong>United learns the hard way what\'s important</strong>\r\n\r\nAs you no doubt have seen by now, United Airlines has been forced to make several changes in the wake of the customer abuse incident seen around the world (where a passenger was forcibly removed from a plane and injured in the process). United has now released a report that concludes it let company policies trump customer\'s rights, and is now making changes to focus on the customer. You can read more details in this Washington Post article: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/04/27/united-dragging-report-our-review-shows-that-many-things-went-wrong-that-day/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_united145am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&amp;utm_term=.a75c489f1172\" target=\"_blank\">United dragging report: \'Our review shows that many things went wrong that day.\'</a>  Also, today, United placed a full-page ad in the Washington Post (and I assume other large dailies) apologizing for its actions and outlining the policy changes.\r\n\r\nIt took very negative publicity and its consequences to make United realize that customers are the reason for being of any company. Without customers, a company simply does not exist. We know that companies that are more customer focused are also better regarded and therefore more successful. Southwest Airlines comes to mind.\r\n\r\n<strong>UX is about your customers</strong>\r\n\r\nAll this brings me to UX (user experience) and how important it is. UX is being customer- focused when it comes to designing your website/app. If you don\'t consider UX when you design, you are not being customer-friendly. It\'s that simple.\r\n\r\n<strong>Verizon FIOS On Demand versus Fandango Movies on Roku</strong>\r\n\r\nTake the example of Verizon FIOS\' On Demand screen versus  Roku\'s Fandango Movies  screen.\r\n\r\nVerizon re-designed their On Demand screen a couple of months ago. They made fonts and images smaller, they crowded the images together and they changed the categories. Adding to that, the background is dark, making it hard to see the writing. To find out whether a movie is available for purchase or rental, you have to click on the title and only then will you be able to see what it costs.\r\n\r\nFandango has several categories on the left hand side of the screen, starting with \"New movies to buy\" and New movies to rent.\" The background is a light color, the images are slightly bigger than Verizon\'s, and easy to read. Just by scrolling through the titles you can see the price of the movie, its Rotten Tomatoes rating, its MPAA rating, and its length.\r\n\r\nFandango most definitely considered UX when designing its movie screen. It\'s clear they thought about how customers search for movies, and what information (cost, time commitment, ratings) they need to make a decision. In contrast, the Verizon On Demand screen UX is plain horrible. It\'s hard to search, hard to find the information you need, and in my opinion, it\'s just ugly. Oh, and Fandango movie rentals cost less than Verizon\'s.\r\n\r\n<strong>Think about your customers, and it will pay off</strong>\r\n\r\nIn my case, I have been renting movies from Fandango and not from Verizon. I definitely find the Fandango interface easier to deal with. Additionally, I voiced my concerns to Verizon, and so far, they\'ve made no changes. I don\'t know if the redesign has affected sales, but I wouldn\'t be surprised.\r\n\r\nYour customers and their experience with your company/brand/organization has to be your first concern. If customers are mistreated, they simply will not come back. And in this age of social media, any negative publicity is amplified. Your customer\'s bad experience can be shared over and over.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being customer-focused and thinking about their user experience will go a long a way in making any organization successful.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Successful companies are customer-focused','','inherit','open','open','','3483-revision-v1','','','2017-04-27 10:00:41','2017-04-27 14:00:41','',3483,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3483-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3487,4,'2017-04-28 09:30:38','2017-04-28 13:30:38','What is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\n\nIf anything, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude. Following are five points to being a better communicator.\n\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\n\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\n\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\n\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\n\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\n\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\n\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\n\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\n\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility.\n\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\n\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\n\n<hr />\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>It\'s really important.</strong>\n\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\n\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed above? Please share in the comments.\n\nUPDATE:\n\nI am not the only one who thinks Spicer is bad at what he does. Today, New York Magazine had this post: By Being Bad at His Job, Sean Spicer Nearly Causes Market Panic. Because Spicer does not bother to learn his subject well, he says inaccurate things, and in his role, his statements have consequences.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-autosave-v1','','','2017-04-28 09:30:38','2017-04-28 13:30:38','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3488,4,'2017-04-28 09:31:17','2017-04-28 13:31:17','<em>THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED.</em>\r\n\r\nWhat is good communication? In essence, it\'s getting your point across to the people who need to hear it. It\'s having those people (your audience) understand what you are saying, and be able to act on that information if necessary. Also, the information you pass on must be credible. Good communication, therefore, is built on clarity and trust.\r\n\r\nIf anything, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has shown us that some people are better communicators than others. Spicer is not example of how to do communications well, but rather, of what not to do. Thankfully, we can draw lessons from his ineptitude. Following are five points to being a better communicator.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand your subject matter very well</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you don’t understand something yourself, you have zero chance of explaining it (well) to someone else. Yes, this means you have to do some studying (or cramming). It means you have to ask people who know more about the subject to explain it to you. It may even mean looking at charts and graphs.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what you are talking about, someone will be quick to point it out to you. Recently, this happened to Sean Spicer. During a press conference last week, Spicer showcased his ignorance about Hitler and the Holocaust by saying that Hitler didn\'t use chemical weapons (he did), and then when questioned, corrected himself by saying Hitler only used gas at \"holocaust centers\" but not against his own people (they are called concentration camps and many Germans were killed there). When his errors were pointed out, Spicer had to apologize often and profusely. The Anti-Defamation League even sent him a letter offering to conduct a private Holocaust education training for him and his staff. I don\'t know if Spicer took the ADL up on its offer, but I think he would greatly benefit from it and/or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n<strong>Use only words that you completely understand and can define</strong>\r\n\r\nSpicer regularly uses the wrong words. He recently said something couldn\'t be <em>quantified</em>, when he meant that it couldn\'t be <em>qualified</em>. In his defense, this is a  common mistake, especially in speaking. When you write, you have a bit more time to figure out the words you are using.  The bottom line is this: If you <em>think</em> you know what a word means, but you can’t define it, don’t use it.  Also, remember that using big words, especially incorrectly, will make you appear to be trying too hard, and being ignorant too boot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check your facts and statistics</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you are going to use any numbers or other facts that can be easily looked up, make sure that they are accurate and correct. Sean Spicer famously trotted out some made up statistics about Trump’s inauguration crowds. Those things can be verified, and if you are using incorrect numbers, you are threatening your own credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t exaggerate</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a boss who is fond of hyperbole, Spicer also tends to exaggerate. Everything is the best or the worst, terrible or fantastic. As any communicator knows, exaggeration also threatens credibility.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be likeable</strong>\r\n\r\nSean Spicer is a very combative person. This may have served him well when he was the spokesperson for the party out of power, but it is making him unlikeable. By constantly fighting with the White House press corps, or by belittling their questions, or by refusing to answer questions, or by mocking people, Spicer is ensuring that his attitude becomes the story.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s really important.</strong>\r\n\r\nTrustworthy and reliable communications have become even more important and necessary in this world of fake news, where bots and fringe political groups are working hard to muck up the information that is available. Taking the time to study your subject and work on your credibility will go a long way to making you a better communicator than our current White House press secretary.\r\n\r\nIs there anything you would add to the five points I have listed above? Please share in the comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>UPDATE:</strong>\r\n\r\nI am not the only one who thinks Spicer is bad at what he does. Today, New York Magazine had this post: <a href=\"http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/by-being-bad-at-his-job-spicer-nearly-causes-market-panic.html?mid=facebook_nymag\" target=\"_blank\">By Being Bad at His Job, Sean Spicer Nearly Causes Market Panic. </a>Because Spicer does not bother to learn his subject well, he says inaccurate things, and in his role, his statements have consequences.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to be better at communication than Sean Spicer','','inherit','open','open','','3474-revision-v1','','','2017-04-28 09:31:17','2017-04-28 13:31:17','',3474,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/04/3474-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3490,4,'2017-05-02 14:06:42','2017-05-02 18:06:42','Over the weekend, I went on walking tour of Georgetown history. In case you don\'t know it, Georgetown is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C. and home to Georgetown University. Georgetown has been around for a long time--it even predates the city of Washington--since it was founded as a port on the Potomac River in 1751. As you can imagine, there\'s a lot of history there. A lot.\r\n\r\n(Check out this<a href=\"http://www.georgetowndc.com/about/photo-tour\" target=\"_blank\"> photo tour</a> from the Georgetown website)\r\n\r\n<strong>Lots of stuff has happened in and around here</strong>\r\n\r\nThe tour started on the Georgetown Waterfront, right on the banks of the Potomac River, not far from the Key Bridge. The guide pointed out the Kennedy Center and the Watergate Hotel (both of which are NOT in Georgetown, but are also on the banks of the Potomac). And he started talking about the scandals associated with both those buildings. Then he gave an anecdote about John Quincy Adams and how he nearly drowned in the Potomac River. Then we walked on, and the tour guide told us a story about a family that had traveled to Georgetown on the C&amp;O Canal in a barge, and how a fire broke out and killed three of their young children. He then showed pictures of the graves of these kids, graves which are located in Maryland. Then, we switched to 1985, and to discussing KGB spy Aldrich Ames and where he met his handlers (in a bar near the Waterfront). And to discussing the buildings along the Waterfront. And the construction of the C&amp;O Canal. And the unsolved murder of a purported lover of John F. Kennedy, whose body was found near the C&amp;O and who had lived in Ben Bradlee\'s home in Georgetown. And we went to the oldest structure in Georgetown, the Old Stone House. And then to a bank that had been a hospital during the Civil War, and where Louisa May Alcott was a nurse.\r\n\r\n(There was much, much more...)\r\n\r\n<strong>And he kept going</strong>\r\n\r\nAfter two and half hours we weren\'t done. The guide said we had a good 45 minutes left. As interesting as it was, the heat (it was near 90 and very humid) and the hour (it was near 6:00 p.m.) convinced me it was time to go home.\r\n\r\nWhen I got home, I was reflecting on the tour and decided it could have been much improved by some editing. The tour guide suffered from what many writers do--the desire to throw as much information as possible to show the breadth and depth of knowledge. But so much information can become amorphous--lacking in structure--to such an extent that it becomes irrelevant. He also had no overarching theme. There was little to connect the unresolved murder of a woman in the 1960s to the Old Stone House or to how divided Georgetown was during the Civil War. He also had too many asides--as important as the Watergate was to American politics, it does not belong in a Georgetown focused tour.\r\n\r\n<strong>In writing, editing means deciding what to leave in and what to take out. Editing means tightening up concepts and getting rid of wordiness. Editing means finding focus.</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the Georgetown walking tour, we could start editing by deciding to stick to a time period (Civil War or the 1800s), or to a specific type of event (murders, spying, politics) or to a specific area (Waterfront, N Street). This would give it a tighter focus and  more meaning. And in this case, it would\'ve also have shortened the tour.\r\n\r\nEditing does make everything better!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Editing makes everything better!','','publish','open','open','','editing-makes-everything-better','','','2017-05-03 08:56:23','2017-05-03 12:56:23','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3490',0,'post','',0),(3491,4,'2017-05-02 11:20:05','2017-05-02 15:20:05','Over the weekend, I attended a walking  tour of Georgetown history (a historic neighborhood of Washington, D.C.). Georgetown has been around for a long time--it even predates the city of Washington--since it was founded as port on the Potomac River in 1751. As you can imagine, there\'s a lot of history there. A lot.\r\n\r\nThe tour started on the Georgetown Waterfront. The guide pointed out the Kennedy Center and the Watergate Hotel (both of which are NOT in Georgetown, but are also on the banks of the Potomac).','Editing makes everything better!','','inherit','open','open','','3490-revision-v1','','','2017-05-02 11:20:05','2017-05-02 15:20:05','',3490,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3490-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3492,4,'2017-05-02 13:57:53','2017-05-02 17:57:53','Over the weekend, I went on walking tour of Georgetown history. In case you don\'t know it, Georgetown is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C. and home to Georgetown University. Georgetown has been around for a long time--it even predates the city of Washington--since it was founded as a port on the Potomac River in 1751. As you can imagine, there\'s a lot of history there. A lot.\r\n\r\n<strong>Lots of stuff has happened in and around here</strong>\r\n\r\nThe tour started on the Georgetown Waterfront, right on the banks of the Potomac River, not far from the Key Bridge. The guide pointed out the Kennedy Center and the Watergate Hotel (both of which are NOT in Georgetown, but are also on the banks of the Potomac). And he started talking about the scandals associated with both those buildings. Then he gave an anecdote about John Quincy Adams and how he nearly drowned in the Potomac River. Then we walked on, and the tour guide told us a story about a family that had traveled to Georgetown on the C&amp;O Canal in a barge, and how a fire broke out and killed three of their young children. He then showed pictures of the graves of these kids, graves which are located in Maryland. Then, we switched to 1985, and to discussing KGB spy Aldrich Ames and where he met his handlers (in a bar near the Waterfront). And to discussing the buildings along the Waterfront. And the construction of the C&amp;O Canal. And the unsolved murder of a purported lover of John F. Kennedy, whose body was found near the C&amp;O and who had lived in Ben Bradlee\'s home in Georgetown. And we went to the oldest structure in Georgetown, the Old Stone House. And then to a bank that had been a hospital during the Civil War, and where Louisa May Alcott was a nurse.\r\n\r\n(There was much much more...)\r\n\r\n<strong>And he kept going</strong>\r\n\r\nAfter two and half hours we weren\'t done. The guide said we had a good 45 minutes left. As interesting as it was, the heat (it was near 90 and very humid) and the hour (it was near 6:00 p.m.) convinced me it was time to go home.\r\n\r\nWhen I got home, I was reflecting on the tour and decided it could have been much improved by some editing. The tour guide suffered from what many writers do--the desire to throw as much information as possible to show the breadth and depth of knowledge. But so much information can become amorphous--lacking in structure--to such an extent that it becomes irrelevant. He also had no overarching theme. There was little to connect the unresolved murder of a woman in the 1960s to the Old Stone House or to how divided Georgetown was during the Civil War. He also had too many asides--as important as the Watergate was to American politics, it does not belong in a Georgetown focused tour.\r\n\r\n<strong>In writing, editing means deciding what to leave in and what to take out. Editing means tightening up concepts and getting rid of wordiness. Editing means finding focus.</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the Georgetown Walking tour, you could start editing by deciding to stick to a time period (Civil War or the 1800s), or to a specific type of event (murders, spying, politics) or to a specific area (Waterfront, N Street). By \"editing\" the tour, you find focus and give it more meaning. And in this case, you would\'ve also have shortened the tour or at least not let it expand.\r\n\r\nEditing does make everything better!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Editing makes everything better!','','inherit','open','open','','3490-revision-v1','','','2017-05-02 13:57:53','2017-05-02 17:57:53','',3490,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3490-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3493,4,'2017-05-02 14:06:42','2017-05-02 18:06:42','Over the weekend, I went on walking tour of Georgetown history. In case you don\'t know it, Georgetown is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C. and home to Georgetown University. Georgetown has been around for a long time--it even predates the city of Washington--since it was founded as a port on the Potomac River in 1751. As you can imagine, there\'s a lot of history there. A lot.\r\n\r\n(Check of this<a href=\"http://www.georgetowndc.com/about/photo-tour\" target=\"_blank\"> photo tour</a> from the Georgetown website)\r\n\r\n<strong>Lots of stuff has happened in and around here</strong>\r\n\r\nThe tour started on the Georgetown Waterfront, right on the banks of the Potomac River, not far from the Key Bridge. The guide pointed out the Kennedy Center and the Watergate Hotel (both of which are NOT in Georgetown, but are also on the banks of the Potomac). And he started talking about the scandals associated with both those buildings. Then he gave an anecdote about John Quincy Adams and how he nearly drowned in the Potomac River. Then we walked on, and the tour guide told us a story about a family that had traveled to Georgetown on the C&amp;O Canal in a barge, and how a fire broke out and killed three of their young children. He then showed pictures of the graves of these kids, graves which are located in Maryland. Then, we switched to 1985, and to discussing KGB spy Aldrich Ames and where he met his handlers (in a bar near the Waterfront). And to discussing the buildings along the Waterfront. And the construction of the C&amp;O Canal. And the unsolved murder of a purported lover of John F. Kennedy, whose body was found near the C&amp;O and who had lived in Ben Bradlee\'s home in Georgetown. And we went to the oldest structure in Georgetown, the Old Stone House. And then to a bank that had been a hospital during the Civil War, and where Louisa May Alcott was a nurse.\r\n\r\n(There was much, much more...)\r\n\r\n<strong>And he kept going</strong>\r\n\r\nAfter two and half hours we weren\'t done. The guide said we had a good 45 minutes left. As interesting as it was, the heat (it was near 90 and very humid) and the hour (it was near 6:00 p.m.) convinced me it was time to go home.\r\n\r\nWhen I got home, I was reflecting on the tour and decided it could have been much improved by some editing. The tour guide suffered from what many writers do--the desire to throw as much information as possible to show the breadth and depth of knowledge. But so much information can become amorphous--lacking in structure--to such an extent that it becomes irrelevant. He also had no overarching theme. There was little to connect the unresolved murder of a woman in the 1960s to the Old Stone House or to how divided Georgetown was during the Civil War. He also had too many asides--as important as the Watergate was to American politics, it does not belong in a Georgetown focused tour.\r\n\r\n<strong>In writing, editing means deciding what to leave in and what to take out. Editing means tightening up concepts and getting rid of wordiness. Editing means finding focus.</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the Georgetown walking tour, we could start editing by deciding to stick to a time period (Civil War or the 1800s), or to a specific type of event (murders, spying, politics) or to a specific area (Waterfront, N Street). This would give it a tighter focus and  more meaning. And in this case, it would\'ve also have shortened the tour.\r\n\r\nEditing does make everything better!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Editing makes everything better!','','inherit','open','open','','3490-revision-v1','','','2017-05-02 14:06:42','2017-05-02 18:06:42','',3490,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3490-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3494,4,'2017-05-03 08:56:23','2017-05-03 12:56:23','Over the weekend, I went on walking tour of Georgetown history. In case you don\'t know it, Georgetown is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C. and home to Georgetown University. Georgetown has been around for a long time--it even predates the city of Washington--since it was founded as a port on the Potomac River in 1751. As you can imagine, there\'s a lot of history there. A lot.\r\n\r\n(Check out this<a href=\"http://www.georgetowndc.com/about/photo-tour\" target=\"_blank\"> photo tour</a> from the Georgetown website)\r\n\r\n<strong>Lots of stuff has happened in and around here</strong>\r\n\r\nThe tour started on the Georgetown Waterfront, right on the banks of the Potomac River, not far from the Key Bridge. The guide pointed out the Kennedy Center and the Watergate Hotel (both of which are NOT in Georgetown, but are also on the banks of the Potomac). And he started talking about the scandals associated with both those buildings. Then he gave an anecdote about John Quincy Adams and how he nearly drowned in the Potomac River. Then we walked on, and the tour guide told us a story about a family that had traveled to Georgetown on the C&amp;O Canal in a barge, and how a fire broke out and killed three of their young children. He then showed pictures of the graves of these kids, graves which are located in Maryland. Then, we switched to 1985, and to discussing KGB spy Aldrich Ames and where he met his handlers (in a bar near the Waterfront). And to discussing the buildings along the Waterfront. And the construction of the C&amp;O Canal. And the unsolved murder of a purported lover of John F. Kennedy, whose body was found near the C&amp;O and who had lived in Ben Bradlee\'s home in Georgetown. And we went to the oldest structure in Georgetown, the Old Stone House. And then to a bank that had been a hospital during the Civil War, and where Louisa May Alcott was a nurse.\r\n\r\n(There was much, much more...)\r\n\r\n<strong>And he kept going</strong>\r\n\r\nAfter two and half hours we weren\'t done. The guide said we had a good 45 minutes left. As interesting as it was, the heat (it was near 90 and very humid) and the hour (it was near 6:00 p.m.) convinced me it was time to go home.\r\n\r\nWhen I got home, I was reflecting on the tour and decided it could have been much improved by some editing. The tour guide suffered from what many writers do--the desire to throw as much information as possible to show the breadth and depth of knowledge. But so much information can become amorphous--lacking in structure--to such an extent that it becomes irrelevant. He also had no overarching theme. There was little to connect the unresolved murder of a woman in the 1960s to the Old Stone House or to how divided Georgetown was during the Civil War. He also had too many asides--as important as the Watergate was to American politics, it does not belong in a Georgetown focused tour.\r\n\r\n<strong>In writing, editing means deciding what to leave in and what to take out. Editing means tightening up concepts and getting rid of wordiness. Editing means finding focus.</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the Georgetown walking tour, we could start editing by deciding to stick to a time period (Civil War or the 1800s), or to a specific type of event (murders, spying, politics) or to a specific area (Waterfront, N Street). This would give it a tighter focus and  more meaning. And in this case, it would\'ve also have shortened the tour.\r\n\r\nEditing does make everything better!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Editing makes everything better!','','inherit','open','open','','3490-revision-v1','','','2017-05-03 08:56:23','2017-05-03 12:56:23','',3490,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3490-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3496,4,'2017-05-09 10:20:22','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','A communication','','draft','open','open','','','','','2017-05-09 10:20:22','2017-05-09 14:20:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3496',0,'post','',0),(3497,4,'2017-05-11 09:59:18','2017-05-11 13:59:18','About a decade ago, I was on the board of a small nonprofit that provided educational programming. I lasted all of a few months since I was fighting a losing battle with the other board members and a spectacularly uninformed (and very young) executive director.\r\n\r\nThis nonprofit had very little money but insisted on a color brochure printed on heavy paper, listing their courses. The ED would then mail it first class (read, the expensive way) because it would take too long to prepare it for the cheaper, bulk/nonprofit rate.\r\n\r\nAmong the things I suggested was to print the brochure on cheaper paper (like newsprint), use the bulk rate, and to consider going all electronic instead. All these ideas were dismissed. One board member thought it was crucial to print the brochure on good paper because it made it seem more serious (?). The ED was balking at using the bulk rate because it meant pre-sorting the brochure. And another board member said that many people wanted the printed brochure and would never abide an electronic format.\r\n\r\nLike I said, it was a losing battle and I believe that there\'s no sense in discussing change with people who don\'t want to change.\r\n\r\nHere we are a good ten years later, and I just got their latest brochure. Yes, I am still on the mailing list even though I have not signed up for a class or donated any money or shown any interest whatsoever. It is still printed on heavy paper, and has full color (which adds to the expense). They are now using the nonprofit/bulk rate. When you use use the bulk rate, you have to be aware that delivery will take longer than using first class postage. Apparently, it is not something that this nonprofit understands. I got the brochure yesterday (May 10). The front cover has a banner telling me spring classes begin on April 26, 2017.\r\n\r\nThis nonprofit continues to print an expensive brochure. However, it doesn\'t print it out with enough lead time to be able to overcome the slower bulk delivery rate. In effect, this is a complete waste. If you are using a brochure as your only means to communicate your offering, then it better be timely.\r\n\r\nAnd, it seems this organization does not review its database. It continues sending out brochures to people that have not indicated any interest in years. Of course, this adds to the cost of the printing and mailing.\r\n\r\nCan you imagine if they had provided this brochure electronically? They would be able to send it out at precisely the right time. They would be able to gauge interest from the open and click rates. They would be able to scrub their lists of any bad addresses. They would increase their reach through the ability to share online. But why change?\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s how you run your organization to the ground: you waste your precious resources and keep doing it until you have nothing left. You keep doing things the way you always have even though it has never been cost-effective.  You don\'t adapt.</strong>\r\n\r\nSigh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to run your organization into oblivion','','publish','open','open','','how-to-run-your-organization-into-oblivion','','','2017-05-11 09:59:18','2017-05-11 13:59:18','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3497',0,'post','',0),(3498,4,'2017-05-11 09:59:18','2017-05-11 13:59:18','About a decade ago, I was on the board of a small nonprofit that provided educational programming. I lasted all of a few months since I was fighting a losing battle with the other board members and a spectacularly uninformed (and very young) executive director.\r\n\r\nThis nonprofit had very little money but insisted on a color brochure printed on heavy paper, listing their courses. The ED would then mail it first class (read, the expensive way) because it would take too long to prepare it for the cheaper, bulk/nonprofit rate.\r\n\r\nAmong the things I suggested was to print the brochure on cheaper paper (like newsprint), use the bulk rate, and to consider going all electronic instead. All these ideas were dismissed. One board member thought it was crucial to print the brochure on good paper because it made it seem more serious (?). The ED was balking at using the bulk rate because it meant pre-sorting the brochure. And another board member said that many people wanted the printed brochure and would never abide an electronic format.\r\n\r\nLike I said, it was a losing battle and I believe that there\'s no sense in discussing change with people who don\'t want to change.\r\n\r\nHere we are a good ten years later, and I just got their latest brochure. Yes, I am still on the mailing list even though I have not signed up for a class or donated any money or shown any interest whatsoever. It is still printed on heavy paper, and has full color (which adds to the expense). They are now using the nonprofit/bulk rate. When you use use the bulk rate, you have to be aware that delivery will take longer than using first class postage. Apparently, it is not something that this nonprofit understands. I got the brochure yesterday (May 10). The front cover has a banner telling me spring classes begin on April 26, 2017.\r\n\r\nThis nonprofit continues to print an expensive brochure. However, it doesn\'t print it out with enough lead time to be able to overcome the slower bulk delivery rate. In effect, this is a complete waste. If you are using a brochure as your only means to communicate your offering, then it better be timely.\r\n\r\nAnd, it seems this organization does not review its database. It continues sending out brochures to people that have not indicated any interest in years. Of course, this adds to the cost of the printing and mailing.\r\n\r\nCan you imagine if they had provided this brochure electronically? They would be able to send it out at precisely the right time. They would be able to gauge interest from the open and click rates. They would be able to scrub their lists of any bad addresses. They would increase their reach through the ability to share online. But why change?\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s how you run your organization to the ground: you waste your precious resources and keep doing it until you have nothing left. You keep doing things the way you always have even though it has never been cost-effective.  You don\'t adapt.</strong>\r\n\r\nSigh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to run your organization into oblivion','','inherit','open','open','','3497-revision-v1','','','2017-05-11 09:59:18','2017-05-11 13:59:18','',3497,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3497-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3507,4,'2017-06-06 16:53:19','2017-06-06 20:53:19','Yesterday, a friend and I met to have lunch at a new pupusa place in Bethesda that we\'d read about. (In case you don\'t know, pupusas are an absolutely delicious Salvadoran specialty of  stuffed thick corn tortillas that are griddled.)\r\n\r\nWhen the pupusa place first opened, it was covered in Bethesda Magazine online  (I don\'t know if it was in the print version). The article stated that the pupusa place was sharing the kitchen with a Japanese restaurant. I assumed it was next door to the Japanese restaurant, but it turns out that it is not separate at all.\r\n\r\nI looked up the address online, and set out. Once I got to the block the restaurant was supposed to be on, I walked up and down the street not seeing sign for it anywhere. I noticed a Japanese place, but there was no indication that they served pupusas there.  I called the number listed on the pupusa place\'s Facebook page. I said I was on their street but couldn\'t find them. The guy who answered told me he was INSIDE the Japanese restaurant, and that they normally only do take out, but that we could sit inside the restaurant.\r\n\r\nMy friend and I went in, and told the hostess that we wanted to eat pupusas. She told us that it was take out only, but when I told her I had spoken to the pupusa guy and he\'d told me we could sit inside, she let us sit in the bar area, and even took our order.\r\n\r\nWhen the pupusas came out, the waitress realized we needed forks and knives since it\'s kind of hard to eat stuffed tortillas with chopsticks. It took her another few minutes to reappear with forks for us.\r\n\r\nEven with all the hoops to jump through, these pupusas were absolutely delicious, and we both really enjoyed our lunch. We decided that the next time we\'d call it in as a takeout order, that is, if this place manages to stay in business.\r\n\r\nThis pupusa place faces many marketing challenges that are related to its business decision to be inside of a Japanese restaurant. Here are the top issues:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>No signage whatsoever</li>\r\n	<li>No clarity on its Facebook page indicating their physical location inside the Japanese restaurant</li>\r\n	<li>Not a natural fit in cuisines</li>\r\n	<li>No menu or any printed materials</li>\r\n	<li>No clarity on being a takeout business</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nI am not sure how this place can surmount these difficulties. An article in Bethesda Magazine, and one Yelp review are not sufficient publicity. This place has to rely on word of mouth and even more, on people specifically searching for pupusas in Bethesda.\r\n\r\nI\'d recommend that the \"restaurant\" seek out it\'s own space, even if only a food truck. Failing that, I would recommend it figure out a way of having a sign and a menu available within the Japanese restaurant. And definitely make it perfectly clear on its Facebook page that it\'s take out only.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you making the best business decisions for your marketing?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-making-the-best-business-decisions-for-your-marketing','','','2017-06-06 16:53:19','2017-06-06 20:53:19','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3507',0,'post','',0),(3502,4,'2017-05-31 13:02:28','2017-05-31 17:02:28','<strong>Holiday marketing goes wrong</strong>\r\n\r\nThis past weekend, I got an email from retailer Eddie Bauer with the subject line \"Happy Memorial Day.\" Now, last time I checked, Memorial Day is a holiday that commemorates and honors soldiers who have died in battle. It\'s a solemn day, meant for reflection, gratitude, and mourning. It is not meant to be a happy occasion.\r\n\r\nAnd Eddie Bauer was hardly alone. Grammarly, purportedly a website/app about proper word usage, also wished its readers a \"happy Memorial Day.\" And Walgreens, the drugstore, had a TV commercial that wished viewers a happy Memorial Day and sent regards and gratitude to the troops. Again, Memorial Day is not about those currently serving, it is about those who died while serving.\r\n\r\nIvanka Trump\'s company got a bit of negative publicity because it tweeted how to make champagne popsicles to \"celebrate\" Memorial Day. You do not celebrate Memorial Day, you observe it.\r\n\r\n<strong>These are mistakes and missteps that come from <em>assuming</em> you know something rather than actually knowing it.</strong>\r\n\r\nThese sad examples of holiday marketing show a deep lack of knowledge and understanding. They are mistakes that seem to come from people who have little breadth and depth.  That\'s what I mean by junior staff. Junior staff members are not necessarily young, but they are inexperienced, have little knowledge, don\'t always understand context, and may make poorly thought out decisions. Junior staff may be aces at the tactics, like posting to social media, but they aren\'t versed on strategy and communications goals.\r\n\r\n<strong>When grownups handle communications</strong>\r\n\r\nOver the Memorial Day weekend, Budweiser was running a promotion in which a portion of beer sales proceeds would be given to Folds of Honor, a charity that provides educational scholarships to families of fallen service members. In all aspects, this is a smarter and much more appropriate marketing tactic than the Memorial Day greetings listed above. It shows an understanding of the meaning of the holiday, and does something to give back (and thus, honors).  Budweiser gets that people like to have cookouts and drink beer over the long holiday weekend, so it is taking advantage of a behavior and making it be worthwhile both for the bottom line and for what the holiday stands for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand what it means and how it\'s best acknowledged</strong>\r\n\r\nHolidays make easy marketing markers. Every store in this country uses the different holidays to sell something. If it\'s Fourth of July, get your flag themed whatever (t-shirts, cakes). If it\'s Thanksgiving buy some Pilgrim/turkey themed stuff. There are pastel colors and rabbits to celebrate Easter.\r\n\r\nYet, not all holidays are the same. Some are religious, some are patriotic, some are celebratory and some are solemn. Understanding what the meaning of a holiday is, and how people celebrate or commemorate it, goes a long way in ensuring that you won\'t be making a junior-level, major marketing mistake.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Did you notice any Memorial Day marketing missteps? How do you feel about using a solemn holiday like Memorial Day for marketing purposes? Let me know in the comments.</span>','The danger of letting junior staff handle your communications','','publish','open','open','','the-danger-of-letting-junior-staff-handle-your-communications','','','2017-05-31 13:02:28','2017-05-31 17:02:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3502',0,'post','',3),(3503,4,'2017-05-31 08:36:38','2017-05-31 12:36:38','','The danger of letting junior staff handle your communications','','inherit','open','open','','3502-revision-v1','','','2017-05-31 08:36:38','2017-05-31 12:36:38','',3502,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3502-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3504,4,'2017-05-31 09:21:50','2017-05-31 13:21:50','<strong>Holiday Marketing Goes Wrong</strong>\r\n\r\nThis past weekend, I got an email from retailer Eddie Bauer with the subject line \"Happy Memorial Day.\" Now, last time I checked, Memorial Day is a holiday that commemorates and honors soldiers who have died in battle. It\'s a solemn day, meant for reflection, gratitude, and mourning. What it is not is happy.\r\n\r\nAnd Eddie Bauer was hardly alone. Grammarly, purportedly a website/app about proper word usage, also wished its readers a \"happy Memorial Day.\" And Walgreens, the drugstore, had a TV commercial that wished a happy Memorial Day and wished the best to the troops. Again, Memorial Day is not about those currently serving, it is about those who died.\r\n\r\nIvanka Trump\'s company got a bit of negative publicity because it tweeted how to make champagne popsicles to \"celebrate\" Memorial Day.\r\n\r\n<strong>These are mistakes and missteps that come from assuming you know something rather than actually knowing it.</strong>\r\n\r\nThese sad examples of holiday marketing show a deep lack of knowledge and understanding. They are mistakes that seem to come from people who have little breadth and depth.  That\'s what I mean by junior staff. Junior staff members are not necessarily young, but they are inexperienced, have little knowledge and context, and make poorly thought out decisions. Junior staff may know how to use social media but they don\'t understand the consequences of making a misstep on social media.\r\n\r\n<strong>When grownups handle communications</strong>\r\n\r\nOver the Memorial Day weekend, Budweiser was running a promotion in which a portion of the proceeds of beer sales would be given to Folds of Honor, a charity that provides educational scholarships to families of fallen service members. In all aspects, this is a smarter and much more appropriate marketing tactic. It shows an understanding of the meaning of the holiday, and does something to give back.  Budweiser gets that people like to have cookouts and drink beer over the long holiday weekend, so it is taking advantage of a behavior and making it be worthwhile both for the bottom line and for what the holiday stands for.\r\n\r\nHolidays make easy marketing markers. Every store in this country uses the different holidays to sell something. If it\'s Fourth of July, get your flag themed whatever (t-shirts, cakes). If it\'s Thanksgiving buy some Pilgrim/turkey themed stuff. There are pastel colors and rabbits to celebrate Easter.\r\n\r\nNot all holidays are the same. Understanding what the meaning of a holiday is, and how people celebrate or commemorate it, goes a long way in ensuring that you won\'t be making a junior-level, major marketing mistake.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The danger of letting junior staff handle your communications','','inherit','open','open','','3502-revision-v1','','','2017-05-31 09:21:50','2017-05-31 13:21:50','',3502,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3502-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3506,4,'2017-05-31 13:02:12','2017-05-31 17:02:12','<strong>Holiday marketing goes wrong</strong>\r\n\r\nThis past weekend, I got an email from retailer Eddie Bauer with the subject line \"Happy Memorial Day.\" Now, last time I checked, Memorial Day is a holiday that commemorates and honors soldiers who have died in battle. It\'s a solemn day, meant for reflection, gratitude, and mourning. It is not meant to be a happy occasion.\r\n\r\nAnd Eddie Bauer was hardly alone. Grammarly, purportedly a website/app about proper word usage, also wished its readers a \"happy Memorial Day.\" And Walgreens, the drugstore, had a TV commercial that wished viewers a happy Memorial Day and sent regards and gratitude to the troops. Again, Memorial Day is not about those currently serving, it is about those who died while serving.\r\n\r\nIvanka Trump\'s company got a bit of negative publicity because it tweeted how to make champagne popsicles to \"celebrate\" Memorial Day. You do not celebrate Memorial Day, you observe it.\r\n\r\n<strong>These are mistakes and missteps that come from <em>assuming</em> you know something rather than actually knowing it.</strong>\r\n\r\nThese sad examples of holiday marketing show a deep lack of knowledge and understanding. They are mistakes that seem to come from people who have little breadth and depth.  That\'s what I mean by junior staff. Junior staff members are not necessarily young, but they are inexperienced, have little knowledge, don\'t always understand context, and may make poorly thought out decisions. Junior staff may be aces at the tactics, like posting to social media, but they aren\'t versed on strategy and communications goals.\r\n\r\n<strong>When grownups handle communications</strong>\r\n\r\nOver the Memorial Day weekend, Budweiser was running a promotion in which a portion of beer sales proceeds would be given to Folds of Honor, a charity that provides educational scholarships to families of fallen service members. In all aspects, this is a smarter and much more appropriate marketing tactic than the Memorial Day greetings listed above. It shows an understanding of the meaning of the holiday, and does something to give back (and thus, honors).  Budweiser gets that people like to have cookouts and drink beer over the long holiday weekend, so it is taking advantage of a behavior and making it be worthwhile both for the bottom line and for what the holiday stands for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Understand what it means and how it\'s best acknowledged</strong>\r\n\r\nHolidays make easy marketing markers. Every store in this country uses the different holidays to sell something. If it\'s Fourth of July, get your flag themed whatever (t-shirts, cakes). If it\'s Thanksgiving buy some Pilgrim/turkey themed stuff. There are pastel colors and rabbits to celebrate Easter.\r\n\r\nYet, not all holidays are the same. Some are religious, some are patriotic, some are celebratory and some are solemn. Understanding what the meaning of a holiday is, and how people celebrate or commemorate it, goes a long way in ensuring that you won\'t be making a junior-level, major marketing mistake.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Did you notice any Memorial Day marketing missteps? How do you feel about using a solemn holiday like Memorial Day for marketing purposes? Let me know in the comments.</span>','The danger of letting junior staff handle your communications','','inherit','open','open','','3502-revision-v1','','','2017-05-31 13:02:12','2017-05-31 17:02:12','',3502,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/05/3502-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3508,4,'2017-06-06 16:53:19','2017-06-06 20:53:19','Yesterday, a friend and I met to have lunch at a new pupusa place in Bethesda that we\'d read about. (In case you don\'t know, pupusas are an absolutely delicious Salvadoran specialty of  stuffed thick corn tortillas that are griddled.)\r\n\r\nWhen the pupusa place first opened, it was covered in Bethesda Magazine online  (I don\'t know if it was in the print version). The article stated that the pupusa place was sharing the kitchen with a Japanese restaurant. I assumed it was next door to the Japanese restaurant, but it turns out that it is not separate at all.\r\n\r\nI looked up the address online, and set out. Once I got to the block the restaurant was supposed to be on, I walked up and down the street not seeing sign for it anywhere. I noticed a Japanese place, but there was no indication that they served pupusas there.  I called the number listed on the pupusa place\'s Facebook page. I said I was on their street but couldn\'t find them. The guy who answered told me he was INSIDE the Japanese restaurant, and that they normally only do take out, but that we could sit inside the restaurant.\r\n\r\nMy friend and I went in, and told the hostess that we wanted to eat pupusas. She told us that it was take out only, but when I told her I had spoken to the pupusa guy and he\'d told me we could sit inside, she let us sit in the bar area, and even took our order.\r\n\r\nWhen the pupusas came out, the waitress realized we needed forks and knives since it\'s kind of hard to eat stuffed tortillas with chopsticks. It took her another few minutes to reappear with forks for us.\r\n\r\nEven with all the hoops to jump through, these pupusas were absolutely delicious, and we both really enjoyed our lunch. We decided that the next time we\'d call it in as a takeout order, that is, if this place manages to stay in business.\r\n\r\nThis pupusa place faces many marketing challenges that are related to its business decision to be inside of a Japanese restaurant. Here are the top issues:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>No signage whatsoever</li>\r\n	<li>No clarity on its Facebook page indicating their physical location inside the Japanese restaurant</li>\r\n	<li>Not a natural fit in cuisines</li>\r\n	<li>No menu or any printed materials</li>\r\n	<li>No clarity on being a takeout business</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nI am not sure how this place can surmount these difficulties. An article in Bethesda Magazine, and one Yelp review are not sufficient publicity. This place has to rely on word of mouth and even more, on people specifically searching for pupusas in Bethesda.\r\n\r\nI\'d recommend that the \"restaurant\" seek out it\'s own space, even if only a food truck. Failing that, I would recommend it figure out a way of having a sign and a menu available within the Japanese restaurant. And definitely make it perfectly clear on its Facebook page that it\'s take out only.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you making the best business decisions for your marketing?','','inherit','open','open','','3507-revision-v1','','','2017-06-06 16:53:19','2017-06-06 20:53:19','',3507,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3507-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3511,4,'2017-06-13 10:45:37','2017-06-13 14:45:37','At an event last week, I met the owner of a local pizza shop. This pizza shop, which opened about a year ago, is located near me, and seems pretty busy, especially on weekends. I asked him how it\'s doing. The pizza shop owner immediately said it was doing poorly, and  he  said the parking situation was to blame. That seemed strange to me since there\'s plenty of garage parking, which, with validation, is free for two hours. He told me that it doesn\'t matter, because psychologically, people don\'t like to pay for parking. And here\'s a direct quote from him: \"I have friends who can spend $500 on dinner but they won\'t pay for parking.\"\r\n\r\nOK. I am sure there are people who avoid going places where they have to pay for parking. But I also don\'t think free parking with validation, and a couple bucks an hour after is the one reason people will avoid going out to dinner.\r\n\r\nI have been thinking about this situation for a few days, and I have concluded that this shop owner is looking for an easy excuse  for what may be poor business and marketing decisions on his part.\r\n\r\nHere are three possible mistakes he has made:\r\n\r\n<strong>Not scouting or researching the location carefully enough.</strong> This particular location has several other restaurants, and the parking situation has not changed in several years. He could have asked the other restaurants if they felt the parking was a challenge. He could have determined how many people walk or take public transportation to get here and how many people drive, and from where. He could have checked out if people complain about parking.\r\n\r\n<strong>Biting off more than he can chew.</strong> This particular restaurant took over two spaces (one had been a restaurant and the other a shoe store). It is a very large place with both indoor and outdoor seating. Perhaps the space is too big with a rent that is too high to support the amount of people that will eat out here.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not doing enough marketing (and marketing poorly)</strong>. When the place opened, I joined the Facebook page for it. It seems that they are doing a few things to entice the community, like a trivia night and a pet adoption event. Now, I am not sure how having a pet adoption event at a restaurant is even a legal idea, and at best is a bit strange idea that may attract pet lovers. I have seen little to promote events in the community and very little creativity. Also, and I kid not, the sponsored Facebook ads promote their top sirloin beef burgers. This is a pizza joint and they should focus on their area of expertise. If you want a burger while everyone else wants pizza, it\'s good they have alternatives for you. But if you want a really great burger, you are not going to a pizza restaurant for it.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this pizza place owner\'s gut told him that parking is the real issue. But a gut feeling does not mean that it\'s the correct reason to explain a situation. If he truly wants to improve his situation, he\'d commission market research and/or  hire a restaurant marketing consultant. He needs facts and actions rather than the feeling that parking, something that will not change and he cannot control, is hurting his business.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Does it all amount to parking or may there be other reasons?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','You need more than a gut feeling','','publish','open','open','','you-need-more-than-a-gut-feeling','','','2017-06-13 10:45:37','2017-06-13 14:45:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3511',0,'post','',0),(3512,4,'2017-06-13 10:45:37','2017-06-13 14:45:37','At an event last week, I met the owner of a local pizza shop. This pizza shop, which opened about a year ago, is located near me, and seems pretty busy, especially on weekends. I asked him how it\'s doing. The pizza shop owner immediately said it was doing poorly, and  he  said the parking situation was to blame. That seemed strange to me since there\'s plenty of garage parking, which, with validation, is free for two hours. He told me that it doesn\'t matter, because psychologically, people don\'t like to pay for parking. And here\'s a direct quote from him: \"I have friends who can spend $500 on dinner but they won\'t pay for parking.\"\r\n\r\nOK. I am sure there are people who avoid going places where they have to pay for parking. But I also don\'t think free parking with validation, and a couple bucks an hour after is the one reason people will avoid going out to dinner.\r\n\r\nI have been thinking about this situation for a few days, and I have concluded that this shop owner is looking for an easy excuse  for what may be poor business and marketing decisions on his part.\r\n\r\nHere are three possible mistakes he has made:\r\n\r\n<strong>Not scouting or researching the location carefully enough.</strong> This particular location has several other restaurants, and the parking situation has not changed in several years. He could have asked the other restaurants if they felt the parking was a challenge. He could have determined how many people walk or take public transportation to get here and how many people drive, and from where. He could have checked out if people complain about parking.\r\n\r\n<strong>Biting off more than he can chew.</strong> This particular restaurant took over two spaces (one had been a restaurant and the other a shoe store). It is a very large place with both indoor and outdoor seating. Perhaps the space is too big with a rent that is too high to support the amount of people that will eat out here.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not doing enough marketing (and marketing poorly)</strong>. When the place opened, I joined the Facebook page for it. It seems that they are doing a few things to entice the community, like a trivia night and a pet adoption event. Now, I am not sure how having a pet adoption event at a restaurant is even a legal idea, and at best is a bit strange idea that may attract pet lovers. I have seen little to promote events in the community and very little creativity. Also, and I kid not, the sponsored Facebook ads promote their top sirloin beef burgers. This is a pizza joint and they should focus on their area of expertise. If you want a burger while everyone else wants pizza, it\'s good they have alternatives for you. But if you want a really great burger, you are not going to a pizza restaurant for it.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this pizza place owner\'s gut told him that parking is the real issue. But a gut feeling does not mean that it\'s the correct reason to explain a situation. If he truly wants to improve his situation, he\'d commission market research and/or  hire a restaurant marketing consultant. He needs facts and actions rather than the feeling that parking, something that will not change and he cannot control, is hurting his business.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Does it all amount to parking or may there be other reasons?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','You need more than a gut feeling','','inherit','open','open','','3511-revision-v1','','','2017-06-13 10:45:37','2017-06-13 14:45:37','',3511,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3511-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3513,4,'2017-06-13 14:40:03','2017-06-13 18:40:03','<h3>Project</h3>\r\nPerhaps you want to hire us to work on a single project. You\'ll give us all the relevant information, including target audience for the project, timelines and existing materials. Once we\'ve assessed what you need, we will provide you with a written time and cost estimate before beginning.\r\n\r\nProjects are payable with a 30% deposit to start, and the balance due once the project is complete.\r\n<h3>Retainer</h3>\r\nIf you require ongoing marketing help or know you will have many projects over two months or more, we will set up a retainer agreement. We will estimate how many hours of time you will require per month. We will agree on a cost and number of hours. Retainer agreements are payable on a bi-weekly schedule. Retainers can be dissolved in writing.\r\n<h3>Payment</h3>\r\nWe accept business or personal checks, credit cards via PayPal, cash and money orders. Paying by credit card incurs an additional 3% surcharge.  Our policy is 14 days net for most invoices. As a small business, we cannot afford to extend credit to our clients, and we respectfully request full payment as and when invoiced. All jobs require an initial 30% deposit.\r\n<h3>No work on spec</h3>\r\nFinally, DBMC does not provide spec work. If you require a sample, we will provide you with work done for previous clients. If you want us to produce something specifically for you, we require payment.','How We Work','','inherit','open','open','','42-revision-v1','','','2017-06-13 14:40:03','2017-06-13 18:40:03','',42,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/42-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3515,4,'2017-06-21 09:48:27','2017-06-21 13:48:27','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/45625a\" target=\"_blank\">June 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/75c3f9\" target=\"_blank\">April 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/792b39\" target=\"_blank\">December 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a051e8\" target=\"_blank\">October 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"August 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/359a88\" target=\"_blank\">August 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d841f7\" target=\"_blank\">June 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a50a67\" target=\"_blank\">March 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d7ed27\" target=\"_blank\">January 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/987fe6\" target=\"_blank\">November 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2017-06-21 09:48:27','2017-06-21 13:48:27','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3516,4,'2017-06-22 09:49:45','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I bet you are assuming lots of stuff when it comes to your audience. You might assume they understand the words you use,','Just what are you assuming?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2017-06-22 09:49:45','2017-06-22 13:49:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3516',0,'post','',0),(3517,4,'2017-06-22 09:49:45','2017-06-22 13:49:45','I bet you are assuming lots of stuff when it comes to your audience. You might assume they understand the words you use,','Just what are you assuming?','','inherit','open','open','','3516-revision-v1','','','2017-06-22 09:49:45','2017-06-22 13:49:45','',3516,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3516-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3518,4,'2017-06-23 10:50:44','2017-06-23 14:50:44','In the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a bunch of small communications issues with different organizations. None of them is big enough to merit a blog post, but they do cause bigger communications problems.\r\n\r\n<strong>Making it extra hard to reach you</strong>\r\n\r\nI met a graphic designer at an event a couple of weeks ago. I sent her a follow up email, and got an automated reply back from her email service telling me it didn\'t recognize me and I would have to reply to the reply, so that I could be whitelisted. I\'ve never seen that before, and I get why she does it. We are all bombarded by spam and other unsolicited email. But when you add an extra step to contacting you, especially when you\'ve given me your personal email on a card, you are creating an obstacle to communication and slowing down any potential business. You have to balance accessibility with the desire for less email. I think if you are a business, you must be accessible.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not including crucial information</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other day I visited microsite for an upcoming conference. It did not list the venue where the conference would be taking place, just the city and state. I\'ve seen some conference websites that don\'t list the full date of the conference. And many don\'t list the price, but force you to hit the register button to find out how much it costs. If you are considering attending any event, you need certain information--where, when, how much and why. If your event page or site does not include crucial information, you are just making it hard for people to decide to attend your event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Email from unknown senders</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other day I got an email from someone named Orlando. My first instinct was to delete, but something about the headline made me open it. It turns out that Orlando is a new employee at an organization from which I get a newsletter. And it was an organizational newsletter. I will never understand why organizations think it\'s a good idea to send email from individuals rather than the organization. Unless you\'re well known already, most people will not recognize you as the new CEO or communications director of an organization.\r\n\r\nIf your organization recently rebranded or changed its name, you may have to send an initial email from your old name. Last year,  I received an email from an organization I had never heard of and I was on the brink of hitting delete. It was communications related, so I figured I must have met someone from that organization at some point, but I wasn\'t sure. It turns out that it was a new name for an old organization.\r\n\r\n<strong>Opening external links in the same window</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the life of me, I don\'t understand why so many organizations want to lose visitors to their websites. And yet, it happens more often than not than when you click on a link, such as the Twitter feed or LinkedIn profile, you are transported out of the organization\'s website to the other website. It doesn\'t take too much coding knowledge to have links open in new windows. That way, visitors can still be on your site and view the outside site.\r\n\r\n<strong>Remember user experience, always.</strong>\r\n\r\nAll of these issues point to one overarching theme: user experience. What do users (visitors to your website, potential customers, potential supporters) experience when they interact with your communications? Are you considering what users need in order to do business with you? As the small issues I described above show, many organizations are not considering their users at all. And that\'s a big communications problem.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Small issues ==> bigger communications problems','','publish','open','open','','small-issues-bigger-communications-problems','','','2017-06-23 10:54:36','2017-06-23 14:54:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3518',0,'post','',0),(3519,4,'2017-06-23 10:50:30','2017-06-23 14:50:30','In the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a bunch of small communications issues with different organizations. None of them is big enough to merit a blog post, but they do cause communications problems.\r\n\r\n<strong>Making it extra hard to reach you</strong>\r\n\r\nI met a graphic designer at an event a couple of weeks ago. I sent her a follow up email, and got an automated reply back from her email service telling me it didn\'t recognize me and I would have to reply to the reply, so that I could be whitelisted. I\'ve never seen that before, and I get why she does it. We are all bombarded by spam and other unsolicited email. But when you add an extra step to contacting you, especially when you\'ve given me your personal email on a card, you are creating an obstacle to communication and slowing down any potential business. You have to balance accessibility with the desire for less email. I think if you are a business, you must be accessible.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not including crucial information</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other day I visited microsite for an upcoming conference. It did not list the venue where the conference would be taking place, just the city and state. I\'ve seen some conference websites that don\'t list the full date of the conference. And many don\'t list the price, but force you to hit the register button to find out how much it costs. If you are considering attending any event, you need certain information--where, when, how much and why. If your event page or site does not include crucial information, you are just making it hard for people to decide to attend your event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Email from unknown senders</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other day I got an email from someone named Orlando. My first instinct was to delete, but something about the headline made me open it. It turns out that Orlando is a new employee at an organization from which I get a newsletter. And it was an organizational newsletter. I will never understand why organizations think it\'s a good idea to send email from individuals rather than the organization. Unless you\'re well known already, most people will not recognize you as the new CEO or communications director of an organization.\r\n\r\nIf your organization recently rebranded or changed its name, you may have to send an initial email from your old name. Last year,  I received an email from an organization I had never heard of and I was on the brink of hitting delete. It was communications related, so I figured I must have met someone from that organization at some point, but I wasn\'t sure. It turns out that it was a new name for an old organization.\r\n\r\n<strong>Opening external links in the same window</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the life of me, I don\'t understand why so many organizations want to lose visitors to their websites. And yet, it happens more often than not than when you click on a link, such as the Twitter feed or LinkedIn profile, you are transported out of the organizations website to the other website. It doesn\'t take too much coding knowledge to have links open in new windows. That way, visitors can still be on your site and view the outside site.\r\n\r\n<strong>Remember user experience, always.</strong>\r\n\r\nAll of these issues point to one overarching theme: user experience. What do users (visitors to your website, potential customers, potential supporter) experience when they interact with your communications? Are you considering what users need in order to do business with you? As the small issues I described above show, many organizations are not considering their users at all. And that\'s a big communications problem.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Small issues ==> bigger communications problems','','inherit','open','open','','3518-revision-v1','','','2017-06-23 10:50:30','2017-06-23 14:50:30','',3518,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3518-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3520,4,'2017-06-23 10:54:04','2017-06-23 14:54:04','In the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a bunch of small communications issues with different organizations. None of them is big enough to merit a blog post, but they do cause bigger communications problems.\n\n<strong>Making it extra hard to reach you</strong>\n\nI met a graphic designer at an event a couple of weeks ago. I sent her a follow up email, and got an automated reply back from her email service telling me it didn\'t recognize me and I would have to reply to the reply, so that I could be whitelisted. I\'ve never seen that before, and I get why she does it. We are all bombarded by spam and other unsolicited email. But when you add an extra step to contacting you, especially when you\'ve given me your personal email on a card, you are creating an obstacle to communication and slowing down any potential business. You have to balance accessibility with the desire for less email. I think if you are a business, you must be accessible.\n\n<strong>Not including crucial information</strong>\n\nThe other day I visited microsite for an upcoming conference. It did not list the venue where the conference would be taking place, just the city and state. I\'ve seen some conference websites that don\'t list the full date of the conference. And many don\'t list the price, but force you to hit the register button to find out how much it costs. If you are considering attending any event, you need certain information--where, when, how much and why. If your event page or site does not include crucial information, you are just making it hard for people to decide to attend your event.\n\n<strong>Email from unknown senders</strong>\n\nThe other day I got an email from someone named Orlando. My first instinct was to delete, but something about the headline made me open it. It turns out that Orlando is a new employee at an organization from which I get a newsletter. And it was an organizational newsletter. I will never understand why organizations think it\'s a good idea to send email from individuals rather than the organization. Unless you\'re well known already, most people will not recognize you as the new CEO or communications director of an organization.\n\nIf your organization recently rebranded or changed its name, you may have to send an initial email from your old name. Last year,  I received an email from an organization I had never heard of and I was on the brink of hitting delete. It was communications related, so I figured I must have met someone from that organization at some point, but I wasn\'t sure. It turns out that it was a new name for an old organization.\n\n<strong>Opening external links in the same window</strong>\n\nFor the life of me, I don\'t understand why so many organizations want to lose visitors to their websites. And yet, it happens more often than not than when you click on a link, such as the Twitter feed or LinkedIn profile, you are transported out of the organization\'s website to the other website. It doesn\'t take too much coding knowledge to have links open in new windows. That way, visitors can still be on your site and view the outside site.\n\n<strong>Remember user experience, always.</strong>\n\nAll of these issues point to one overarching theme: user experience. What do users (visitors to your website, potential customers, potential supporter) experience when they interact with your communications? Are you considering what users need in order to do business with you? As the small issues I described above show, many organizations are not considering their users at all. And that\'s a big communications problem.\n\n&nbsp;','Small issues ==> bigger communications problems','','inherit','open','open','','3518-autosave-v1','','','2017-06-23 10:54:04','2017-06-23 14:54:04','',3518,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3518-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3521,4,'2017-06-23 10:54:36','2017-06-23 14:54:36','In the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a bunch of small communications issues with different organizations. None of them is big enough to merit a blog post, but they do cause bigger communications problems.\r\n\r\n<strong>Making it extra hard to reach you</strong>\r\n\r\nI met a graphic designer at an event a couple of weeks ago. I sent her a follow up email, and got an automated reply back from her email service telling me it didn\'t recognize me and I would have to reply to the reply, so that I could be whitelisted. I\'ve never seen that before, and I get why she does it. We are all bombarded by spam and other unsolicited email. But when you add an extra step to contacting you, especially when you\'ve given me your personal email on a card, you are creating an obstacle to communication and slowing down any potential business. You have to balance accessibility with the desire for less email. I think if you are a business, you must be accessible.\r\n\r\n<strong>Not including crucial information</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other day I visited microsite for an upcoming conference. It did not list the venue where the conference would be taking place, just the city and state. I\'ve seen some conference websites that don\'t list the full date of the conference. And many don\'t list the price, but force you to hit the register button to find out how much it costs. If you are considering attending any event, you need certain information--where, when, how much and why. If your event page or site does not include crucial information, you are just making it hard for people to decide to attend your event.\r\n\r\n<strong>Email from unknown senders</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other day I got an email from someone named Orlando. My first instinct was to delete, but something about the headline made me open it. It turns out that Orlando is a new employee at an organization from which I get a newsletter. And it was an organizational newsletter. I will never understand why organizations think it\'s a good idea to send email from individuals rather than the organization. Unless you\'re well known already, most people will not recognize you as the new CEO or communications director of an organization.\r\n\r\nIf your organization recently rebranded or changed its name, you may have to send an initial email from your old name. Last year,  I received an email from an organization I had never heard of and I was on the brink of hitting delete. It was communications related, so I figured I must have met someone from that organization at some point, but I wasn\'t sure. It turns out that it was a new name for an old organization.\r\n\r\n<strong>Opening external links in the same window</strong>\r\n\r\nFor the life of me, I don\'t understand why so many organizations want to lose visitors to their websites. And yet, it happens more often than not than when you click on a link, such as the Twitter feed or LinkedIn profile, you are transported out of the organization\'s website to the other website. It doesn\'t take too much coding knowledge to have links open in new windows. That way, visitors can still be on your site and view the outside site.\r\n\r\n<strong>Remember user experience, always.</strong>\r\n\r\nAll of these issues point to one overarching theme: user experience. What do users (visitors to your website, potential customers, potential supporters) experience when they interact with your communications? Are you considering what users need in order to do business with you? As the small issues I described above show, many organizations are not considering their users at all. And that\'s a big communications problem.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Small issues ==> bigger communications problems','','inherit','open','open','','3518-revision-v1','','','2017-06-23 10:54:36','2017-06-23 14:54:36','',3518,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3518-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3523,4,'2017-06-28 13:30:19','2017-06-28 17:30:19','At a communications event last week, the three panelists were asked what communications channel they felt was overrated. The answer that stood out to me the most was the panelist who said she just wanted to see the corporate blog die already because, in her opinion, nobody visits/reads corporate blogs.\r\n\r\nI disagree. Here are a few reasons why:\r\n\r\nThe corporate/organizational blog is an integral part of any <strong>content marketing strategy</strong>.\r\n\r\nIt\'s <strong>owned media</strong> that can help with your SEO, though leadership, lead generation and so much more.\r\n\r\nFor smaller organizations, blogs are an <strong>easy way to add fresh content</strong> regularly.\r\n\r\nBlogs are <strong>flexible and media friendly</strong>--you can post images, graphics, video, audio and/or text.\r\n\r\nRegularly updated blogs serve as a clue to your website visitors that your website (and your organization) is<strong> current</strong>.\r\n\r\nBlog posts are a great <strong>opportunity to respond</strong> to current events/situations/policies in a timely manner, and in more depth that on other social media outlets.\r\n\r\nOrganizational blogs serve a purpose, when done thoughtfully and strategically. But far too many organizations don\'t consider what they wish to achieve with the blog that they feel they must have.\r\n\r\nSo yes, corporate blogs without a strategy or purpose behind them should die. But they can and should be resurrected to achieve one of the many things I have pointed out above. What do you think? What\'s your experience with corporate/organizational blogs? When do you read them?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is it time for the corporate blog to die?','','publish','open','open','','is-it-time-for-the-corporate-blog-to-die','','','2017-06-28 13:30:19','2017-06-28 17:30:19','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3523',0,'post','',0),(3524,4,'2017-06-28 13:05:40','2017-06-28 17:05:40','','Is it time for the corporate blog to die?','','inherit','open','open','','3523-revision-v1','','','2017-06-28 13:05:40','2017-06-28 17:05:40','',3523,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3523-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3525,4,'2017-06-28 13:30:19','2017-06-28 17:30:19','At a communications event last week, the three panelists were asked what communications channel they felt was overrated. The answer that stood out to me the most was the panelist who said she just wanted to see the corporate blog die already because, in her opinion, nobody visits/reads corporate blogs.\r\n\r\nI disagree. Here are a few reasons why:\r\n\r\nThe corporate/organizational blog is an integral part of any <strong>content marketing strategy</strong>.\r\n\r\nIt\'s <strong>owned media</strong> that can help with your SEO, though leadership, lead generation and so much more.\r\n\r\nFor smaller organizations, blogs are an <strong>easy way to add fresh content</strong> regularly.\r\n\r\nBlogs are <strong>flexible and media friendly</strong>--you can post images, graphics, video, audio and/or text.\r\n\r\nRegularly updated blogs serve as a clue to your website visitors that your website (and your organization) is<strong> current</strong>.\r\n\r\nBlog posts are a great <strong>opportunity to respond</strong> to current events/situations/policies in a timely manner, and in more depth that on other social media outlets.\r\n\r\nOrganizational blogs serve a purpose, when done thoughtfully and strategically. But far too many organizations don\'t consider what they wish to achieve with the blog that they feel they must have.\r\n\r\nSo yes, corporate blogs without a strategy or purpose behind them should die. But they can and should be resurrected to achieve one of the many things I have pointed out above. What do you think? What\'s your experience with corporate/organizational blogs? When do you read them?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is it time for the corporate blog to die?','','inherit','open','open','','3523-revision-v1','','','2017-06-28 13:30:19','2017-06-28 17:30:19','',3523,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/06/3523-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3528,4,'2017-07-13 16:27:23','2017-07-13 20:27:23','A couple of months ago, I found out that Kramerbooks, an independent bookstore in Washington, had started doing book events. After checking their events website, I saw an author I wanted to see (Derek Thompson, author of Hitmakers). I went to the  Thompson event, which took place in Kramerbook\'s new and pretty tight \"event\" space, with enough seating for about 20 or so, and standing space for about 20 or so more.  I thought Thompson was very interesting, and I actually went home and got his book from the library (and I will be sharing thoughts on it in a future blog post).\r\n\r\nBased on my positive experience, I kept tabs on the Kramerbook\'s online event calendar. Soon, there was another event I wanted to attend. It was three journalists who cover the White House (and being a politics and news junkie, this was totally up my alley). So I put it in my calendar. In the back of my mind I thought this would be a very crowded event, this being DC and the space being so small. Well, I took the Metro from Rockville, and got there around 5:20. Even though the event wasn\'t scheduled to start until 6:30p.m., there was a line around the block.  It was very hot, and based on the space constraints, I knew I wouldn\'t get in, so I decided not to stand in line for an hour in the sun and heat.\r\n\r\nIt costs $6 to ride Metro from where I live to Dupont Circle, where Kramerbooks is. I basically wasted $12 and well over an hour. I was not happy.\r\n\r\nThe next day, I noticed that Kramerbooks had tweeted about a livestream. I tweeted back that had I known I would have skipped going down there. I got back a reply that they tweeted it, and put it on Facebook and Instagram, and they were sorry (more like sorry, not sorry) that I hadn\'t seen it. I asked why they hadn\'t included this information on their event page. And I got no response back.\r\n\r\nBased on this experience, I may never attend try to attend an event at Kramerbooks again. Transportation is just too costly and time-consuming, and getting a seat is too much of a crapshoot. I also didn\'t care for their social media response. A much better response to empathize and then to send me a link to the recording of the event.\r\n\r\nEvents can be great marketing tools. In this case, Kramer\'s gets people in the door, and hopefully, checking out their book selection or eating at their restaurant. Events can also generate publicity. But when done poorly, events can have a negative effect.\r\n\r\nThere\'s another independent bookstore in Washington, Politics and Prose, which has been holding author events for years. They have an event nearly every single day, mostly free and in their bookstore (which has way more space than Kramerbooks). When they have a big author or an event likely to draw large crowds, they sell tickets and hold the events at  Sixth and I (a synagogue and event space in D.C.), which can seat hundreds. This tactic has made Politics and Prose a leader in author and literary events, and probably also has generated considerable book sales.\r\n\r\nThe difference between these two bookstores and their event marketing strategies is stark. One has the experience to understand that some talks require larger spaces, and have partnered with another organization to address the need while also generating ticket and book sales. The other is still learning what to do with their space.\r\n\r\nHave you ever attended an event that ended up being terrible? What made it so and what were the consequences for  you? Let me know in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Events can be great marketing, or not','','publish','open','open','','events-can-be-great-marketing-or-not','','','2017-07-13 16:27:39','2017-07-13 20:27:39','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3528',0,'post','',0),(3529,4,'2017-07-13 09:22:09','2017-07-13 13:22:09','A couple of months ago, I found out that Kramer Books, an independent bookstore in DC, had started doing book events. I took the postcard listing the events and the website URL, and went to the website. Soon, I saw an author I wanted to see (Derek Thompson, author of Hitmakers). I went to the event, which took place in a pretty tight space, with enough seating for about 20 or so, and standing space for about 20 or so more. Kramer\'s was selling $5 wine, which I believe was part of draw. I thought Thompson was very interesting, and I actually went home and got his book from the library (and I will be sharing thoughts on it in a future blog post).\r\n\r\nBased on my positive experience, I kept tabs on the Kramer Book\'s online event calendar. Soon, there was another event I wanted to attend. It was three journalists who cover the White House (and being a politics and news junkie). So I put it in my calendar. In the back of my mind I thought this would be a very crowded event, this being DC and the space being so small. Well, I took the Metro from Rockville, and got there around 5:20. There was a line around the block. The event didn\'t start until 6;30. It was very hot, and based on the space, I knew I wouldn\'t get in, so I decided not to stand in line for an hour. It costs $6 to ride Metro from where I live to Dupont Circle, where Kramer Books is. I basically wasted $12. And well over an hour. I was not happy. The next day, I noticed that Kramer Books had tweeted about a livestream. I tweeted back that had I known I would have skipped going down there. I got back a reply that they tweeted it, and put it on Facebook and Instagram, and they were sorry (more like sorry, not sorry) that I hadn\'t seen it. I asked why they hadn\'t included this on their event page. And I got no response back.\r\n\r\nThe thing is I will most likely never attend an event at Kramer Books again. It is too costly and too much of a crapshoot. And their social media response was not good. A better response would\'ve been to send me a link to the recording.\r\n\r\nEvents can be great marketing tools. In this case, Kramer\'s gets people in the door, and hopefully, checking out their book selection or eating at their restaurant. Events can also generate publicity.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Events can be great marketing, or not','','inherit','open','open','','3528-revision-v1','','','2017-07-13 09:22:09','2017-07-13 13:22:09','',3528,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/07/3528-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3530,4,'2017-07-13 16:27:23','2017-07-13 20:27:23','A couple of months ago, I found out that Kramerbooks, an independent bookstore in Washington, had started doing book events. After checking their events website, I saw an author I wanted to see (Derek Thompson, author of Hitmakers). I went to the  Thompson event, which took place in Kramerbook\'s new and pretty tight \"event\" space, with enough seating for about 20 or so, and standing space for about 20 or so more.  I thought Thompson was very interesting, and I actually went home and got his book from the library (and I will be sharing thoughts on it in a future blog post).\r\n\r\nBased on my positive experience, I kept tabs on the Kramerbook\'s online event calendar. Soon, there was another event I wanted to attend. It was three journalists who cover the White House (and being a politics and news junkie, this was totally up my alley). So I put it in my calendar. In the back of my mind I thought this would be a very crowded event, this being DC and the space being so small. Well, I took the Metro from Rockville, and got there around 5:20. Even though the event wasn\'t scheduled to start until 6:30p.m., there was a line around the block.  It was very hot, and based on the space constraints, I knew I wouldn\'t get in, so I decided not to stand in line for an hour in the sun and heat.\r\n\r\nIt costs $6 to ride Metro from where I live to Dupont Circle, where Kramerbooks is. I basically wasted $12 and well over an hour. I was not happy.\r\n\r\nThe next day, I noticed that Kramerbooks had tweeted about a livestream. I tweeted back that had I known I would have skipped going down there. I got back a reply that they tweeted it, and put it on Facebook and Instagram, and they were sorry (more like sorry, not sorry) that I hadn\'t seen it. I asked why they hadn\'t included this information on their event page. And I got no response back.\r\n\r\nBased on this experience, I may never attend try to attend an event at Kramerbooks again. Transportation is just too costly and time-consuming, and getting a seat is too much of a crapshoot. I also didn\'t care for their social media response. A much better response to empathize and then to send me a link to the recording of the event.\r\n\r\nEvents can be great marketing tools. In this case, Kramer\'s gets people in the door, and hopefully, checking out their book selection or eating at their restaurant. Events can also generate publicity. But when done poorly, events can have a negative effect.\r\n\r\nThere\'s another independent bookstore in Washington, Politics and Prose, which has been holding author events for years. They have an event nearly every single day, mostly free and in their bookstore (which has way more space than Kramerbooks). When they have a big author or an event likely to draw large crowds, they sell tickets and hold the events at  Sixth and I (a synagogue and event space in D.C.), which can seat hundreds. This tactic has made Politics and Prose a leader in author and literary events, and probably also has generated considerable book sales.\r\n\r\nThe difference between these two bookstores and their event marketing strategies is stark. One has the experience to understand that some talks require larger spaces, and have partnered with another organization to address the need while also generating ticket and book sales. The other is still learning what to do with their space.\r\n\r\nHave you ever attended an event that ended up being terrible? What made it so and what were the consequences for  you? Let me know in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Events can be great marketing, or not','','inherit','open','open','','3528-revision-v1','','','2017-07-13 16:27:23','2017-07-13 20:27:23','',3528,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/07/3528-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3536,4,'2017-07-27 13:58:23','2017-07-27 17:58:23','This past Saturday, Jim Vance died after being diagnosed with cancer back in May. Jim Vance was the long-time (45 years!) anchor at Washington\'s NBC affiliate, WRC (channel 4). His death created a tremendous outpouring of grief, from his colleagues, and from the many people in the area who watched him on TV. You can see how NBC4 reported it <a href=\"http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/News4-Anchor-Jim-Vance-Dies-at-75-436001373.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n\r\nWhen I first read the news of Vance\'s death on Saturday morning I was not surprised (he had announced on air he had cancer and I hadn\'t seen him on the news desk in several weeks even though he had said he would work as his treatment allowed), but I was incredibly saddened. I\'ve watched NBC4\'s evening news for many years, and liked watching him and his anchor partner Doreen Gentzler. I liked how they interacted, how genuinely friendly they were with each other and with the other reporters. I especially remember how Vance paid tribute to Doreen when she celebrated her 25 years of sharing the anchor desk with him.\r\n\r\nSince his death, I have come to learn more about Jim Vance. He was incredibly active in his community—speaking at high school graduations, funding scholarships, mentoring others. Many of his colleagues said he lived life to the fullest. A friend of mine told me that as a teen, he met Vance. In other words, Vance was accessible. He was not a distant celebrity, but was part and parcel of his community.\r\n\r\nEvery night on NBC4 this week, they have paid tribute to Vance. You can see how deeply they feel his loss. And what is interesting is how the community misses Vance too. What\'s more, his competitors at other TV stations also paid tribute to him. The news community in DC is tightly-knit. Many reporters have worked at more than one local station. Bruce Johnson, who now anchors at the CBS affiliate, WUSA-9, had been friends with Vance. He devoted his show, Off Script, on Monday night to Jim Vance and to helping people quit smoking, an addiction which most likely caused Vance\'s cancer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Local TV news still matters.</strong> Whether you watch at 6:00 a.m. to get a read on the day\'s traffic and weather, or at 11:00 p.m. to see what happened in your community, you watch the local TV news to connect to where you live. And because you probably do this habitually, you connect to the people who deliver the news to you. They also live here. They know how hot or how cold or how rainy it is, because they too had to deal with it on their way to work.  Local news anchors care about traffic and construction and local crime, because it affects them personally and their families. And because they care about what is going on here, we care about them.\r\n\r\nIn this age where it seems social media dominates, it\'s important to realize that people still watch TV news, and they connect with the people they see on the anchor desk.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Proof that local TV news still matters','','publish','open','open','','proof-that-local-tv-news-still-matters','','','2017-07-27 13:58:43','2017-07-27 17:58:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3536',0,'post','',0),(3532,4,'2017-07-18 09:27:23','2017-07-18 13:27:23','This past weekend, I attended my sixth WordCamp (!). This time I only had to travel as far as Washington, D.C., which (finally) was hosting its first WordCamp. The past few times I\'ve been to Baltimore and Philadelphia. In case you don\'t know, WordCamp is a volunteer-led conference featuring talks and workshops on various WordPress and website/blog related issues. Since this website/blog is built on WordPress, and WordPress is also a platform for so many other websites big and small, I find it extremely useful to learn more about WordPress and attend WordCamp.\r\n\r\nThis time, I made it to about 11 presentations out of a total 60. As usual, some of the presentations were really useful and/or interesting.  Although I picked up several nuggets, I had four big take-aways.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be generous</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you ever clicked on a blog post that promised you some good information, but found out instead that the post was a sales pitch for the book/webinar/course where you could pay to access the information? I hate that and so does Tracy Schorn, who is the author of the very popular <a href=\"https://www.chumplady.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Chump Lady blog</a>. Her main advice from “How to Build a Popular Blog and Master WordPress Even If You Are a Liberal Arts Major” is to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">be generous</span>. Tracy says you should offer solutions, help people and be a resource for your readers.\r\n\r\nOf course, Tracy works hard at her blog too. She writes a post every weekday, and answers her readers\' questions. Tracy is definitely on to something, as she is living the blogger\'s dream. Her blog became so popular that she was able to write a book, get it published and then get it optioned for a TV series! Oh, and she makes money of her blog too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Many ways to improve your SEO</strong>\r\n\r\nJohn Victoria runs a SEO/digital marketing agency and his talk was “10 Reasons Why Your Site is Nowhere to be Found on Google (and what to do about it).” The answer to getting your site to be found on Google is SEO—search engine optimization. Being in the first page of Google\'s organic search results is crucial if you want potential customers to find you.\r\n\r\nAmong his suggestions:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Check your site loading speed---a slow load will turn off readers</li>\r\n	<li>Submit your URL to Google</li>\r\n	<li>Backlinks to your site matter. But, do not, under any circumstances, pay to get lots of backlinks to your site. Focus on quality not quantity.</li>\r\n	<li>Submitting an article to a leading publication/site in your field is a great way to build quality backlinks and third-party credibility</li>\r\n	<li>Use your keywords judiciously—do not keyword stuff and think of other ways of saying the same thing (e.g., dentist, dental practice).</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Take a step now toward enhanced website security</strong>\r\n\r\nWebsites get hacked all the time. Sometimes the hackers are trying to make money by redirecting your traffic to another site. Sometimes they are trying to spread malware. Whatever the reason, this is something you, as a website/blog owner, need to work hard to avoid. And it  does take work and know-how. According to Adam Warner of SiteLock, from his talk \"5 Steps to Personal and Website Security,\" even taking one step helps. Some of what he recommended:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have strong passwords, do not repeat them and consider using a password manager</li>\r\n	<li>Install SSL on your website, which, as a bonus, gives you an SEO boost</li>\r\n	<li>Use a plug-in to limit the amount of logins into your site</li>\r\n	<li>Do not use public Wi-Fi networks that are not password protected</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Design matters</strong>\r\n\r\nI really liked Annie Smidt’s talk \"Easy Design Tips for Non Designers.\" She says (and I completely agree) that design can make your site look credible, and can also help visitors like your site. We all know how important it is to make a good first impression.\r\n\r\nSome things Annie suggested non-designers should consider:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have a hierarchy—the most important message must stand out</li>\r\n	<li>Consistency is important</li>\r\n	<li>Your color palette should match your audience and the mood you are trying to create (Annie provided some great sites/ideas on how to come up with palettes too)</li>\r\n	<li>Typography increases comprehension, so choose typefaces carefully and don’t use too many fonts (she says having two is good: one serif, one sans serif)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOne important tidbit I learned from Annie was how to make em-dashes on WordPress. All you have to do is use the Omega button to access special characters. I\'ve already done it in this post!\r\n\r\nYou can read her slides <a href=\"http://www.durablecreative.com/wc17/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, and see her excellent suggestions on where to get color palette ideas.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere were dozens of other sessions on three different tracks.  Some were targeted to developers and some to those who work in government or big institutions. Most of them should be available on <a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/category/wordcamptv/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress TV.</a>\r\n\r\nI highly recommend attending a WordCamp in person. It’s fun, you’ll learn new stuff and great hacks, meet new people, and not to mention, you\'ll get a t-shirt. For a list of upcoming WordCamps, just check <a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordCamp Central</a>. There are WordCamps everywhere!','4 lessons from WordCamp DC that will improve your website','','publish','open','open','','4-lessons-from-wordcamp-dc-that-will-improve-your-website','','','2017-07-18 09:27:46','2017-07-18 13:27:46','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3532',0,'post','',0),(3533,4,'2017-07-18 09:25:34','2017-07-18 13:25:34','This past weekend, I attended my sixth WordCamp (!). This time I only had to travel as far as Washington, D.C., which (finally) was hosting its first WordCamp. The past few times I\'ve been to Baltimore and Philadelphia. In case you don\'t know, WordCamp is a volunteer-led conference featuring talks and workshops on various WordPress and website/blog related issues. Since this website/blog is built on WordPress, and WordPress is also a platform for so many other websites big and small, I find it extremely useful to learn more about WordPress and attend WordCamp.\r\n\r\nThis time, I made it to about 11 presentations out of a total 60. As usual, some of the presentations were really useful and/or interesting.  Although I picked up several nuggets, I had four big take-aways.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be generous</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you ever clicked on a blog post that promised you some good information, but found out instead that the post was a sales pitch for the book/webinar/course where you could pay to access the information? I hate that and so does Tracy Schorn, who is the author of the very popular <a href=\"https://www.chumplady.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Chump Lady blog</a>. Her main advice from “How to Build a Popular Blog and Master WordPress Even If You Are a Liberal Arts Major” is to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">be generous</span>. Tracy says you should offer solutions, help people and be a resource for your readers.\r\n\r\nOf course, Tracy works hard at her blog too. She writes a post every weekday, and answers her readers\' questions. Tracy is definitely on to something, as she is living the blogger\'s dream. Her blog became so popular that she was able to write a book, get it published and then get it optioned for a TV series! Oh, and she makes money of her blog too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Many ways to improve your SEO</strong>\r\n\r\nJohn Victoria runs a SEO/digital marketing agency and his talk was “10 Reasons Why Your Site is Nowhere to be Found on Google (and what to do about it).” The answer to getting your site to be found on Google is SEO—search engine optimization. Being in the first page of Google\'s organic search results is crucial if you want potential customers to find you.\r\n\r\nAmong his suggestions:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Check your site loading speed---a slow load will turn off readers</li>\r\n	<li>Submit your URL to Google</li>\r\n	<li>Backlinks to your site matter. But, do not, under any circumstances, pay to get lots of backlinks to your site. Focus on quality not quantity.</li>\r\n	<li>Submitting an article to a leading publication/site in your field is a great way to build quality backlinks and third-party credibility</li>\r\n	<li>Use your keywords judiciously—do not keyword stuff and think of other ways of saying the same thing (e.g., dentist, dental practice).</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Take a step now toward enhanced website security</strong>\r\n\r\nWebsites get hacked all the time. Sometimes the hackers are trying to make money by redirecting your traffic to another site. Sometimes they are trying to spread malware. Whatever the reason, this is something you, as a website/blog owner, need to work hard to avoid. And it  does take work and know-how. According to Adam Warner of SiteLock, from his talk \"5 Steps to Personal and Website Security,\" even taking one step helps. Some of what he recommended:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have strong passwords, do not repeat them and consider using a password manager</li>\r\n	<li>Install SSL on your website, which, as a bonus, gives you an SEO boost</li>\r\n	<li>Use a plug-in to limit the amount of logins into your site</li>\r\n	<li>Do not use public Wi-Fi networks that are not password protected</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Design matters</strong>\r\n\r\nI really liked Annie Smidt’s talk \"Easy Design Tips for Non Designers.\" She says (and I completely agree) that design can make your site look credible, and can also help visitors like your site. We all know how important it is to make a good first impression.\r\n\r\nSome things Annie suggested non-designers should consider:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have a hierarchy—the most important message must stand out</li>\r\n	<li>Consistency is important</li>\r\n	<li>Your color palette should match your audience and the mood you are trying to create (Annie provided some great sites/ideas on how to come up with palettes too)</li>\r\n	<li>Typography increases comprehension, so choose typefaces carefully and don’t use too many fonts (she says having two is good: one serif, one sans serif)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOne important tidbit I learned from Annie was how to make em-dashes on WordPress. All you have to do is use the Omega button to access special characters. I\'ve already done it in this post!\r\n\r\nYou can read her slides <a href=\"http://www.durablecreative.com/wc17/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, and see her excellent suggestions on where to get color palette ideas.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere were dozens of other sessions on three different tracks.  Some were targeted to developers and some to those who work in government or big institutions. Most of them should be available on <a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/category/wordcamptv/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress TV.</a>\r\n\r\nI highly recommend attending a WordCamp in person. It’s fun, you’ll learn new stuff and great hacks, meet new people, and not to mention, you will get a t-shirt. For a list of upcoming WordCamps, just check <a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordCamp Central</a>. There are WordCamps everywhere!','4 lessons from WordCamp DC that will improve your website','','inherit','open','open','','3532-revision-v1','','','2017-07-18 09:25:34','2017-07-18 13:25:34','',3532,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/07/3532-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3534,4,'2017-07-18 09:27:23','2017-07-18 13:27:23','This past weekend, I attended my sixth WordCamp (!). This time I only had to travel as far as Washington, D.C., which (finally) was hosting its first WordCamp. The past few times I\'ve been to Baltimore and Philadelphia. In case you don\'t know, WordCamp is a volunteer-led conference featuring talks and workshops on various WordPress and website/blog related issues. Since this website/blog is built on WordPress, and WordPress is also a platform for so many other websites big and small, I find it extremely useful to learn more about WordPress and attend WordCamp.\r\n\r\nThis time, I made it to about 11 presentations out of a total 60. As usual, some of the presentations were really useful and/or interesting.  Although I picked up several nuggets, I had four big take-aways.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be generous</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you ever clicked on a blog post that promised you some good information, but found out instead that the post was a sales pitch for the book/webinar/course where you could pay to access the information? I hate that and so does Tracy Schorn, who is the author of the very popular <a href=\"https://www.chumplady.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Chump Lady blog</a>. Her main advice from “How to Build a Popular Blog and Master WordPress Even If You Are a Liberal Arts Major” is to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">be generous</span>. Tracy says you should offer solutions, help people and be a resource for your readers.\r\n\r\nOf course, Tracy works hard at her blog too. She writes a post every weekday, and answers her readers\' questions. Tracy is definitely on to something, as she is living the blogger\'s dream. Her blog became so popular that she was able to write a book, get it published and then get it optioned for a TV series! Oh, and she makes money of her blog too.\r\n\r\n<strong>Many ways to improve your SEO</strong>\r\n\r\nJohn Victoria runs a SEO/digital marketing agency and his talk was “10 Reasons Why Your Site is Nowhere to be Found on Google (and what to do about it).” The answer to getting your site to be found on Google is SEO—search engine optimization. Being in the first page of Google\'s organic search results is crucial if you want potential customers to find you.\r\n\r\nAmong his suggestions:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Check your site loading speed---a slow load will turn off readers</li>\r\n	<li>Submit your URL to Google</li>\r\n	<li>Backlinks to your site matter. But, do not, under any circumstances, pay to get lots of backlinks to your site. Focus on quality not quantity.</li>\r\n	<li>Submitting an article to a leading publication/site in your field is a great way to build quality backlinks and third-party credibility</li>\r\n	<li>Use your keywords judiciously—do not keyword stuff and think of other ways of saying the same thing (e.g., dentist, dental practice).</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Take a step now toward enhanced website security</strong>\r\n\r\nWebsites get hacked all the time. Sometimes the hackers are trying to make money by redirecting your traffic to another site. Sometimes they are trying to spread malware. Whatever the reason, this is something you, as a website/blog owner, need to work hard to avoid. And it  does take work and know-how. According to Adam Warner of SiteLock, from his talk \"5 Steps to Personal and Website Security,\" even taking one step helps. Some of what he recommended:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have strong passwords, do not repeat them and consider using a password manager</li>\r\n	<li>Install SSL on your website, which, as a bonus, gives you an SEO boost</li>\r\n	<li>Use a plug-in to limit the amount of logins into your site</li>\r\n	<li>Do not use public Wi-Fi networks that are not password protected</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Design matters</strong>\r\n\r\nI really liked Annie Smidt’s talk \"Easy Design Tips for Non Designers.\" She says (and I completely agree) that design can make your site look credible, and can also help visitors like your site. We all know how important it is to make a good first impression.\r\n\r\nSome things Annie suggested non-designers should consider:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have a hierarchy—the most important message must stand out</li>\r\n	<li>Consistency is important</li>\r\n	<li>Your color palette should match your audience and the mood you are trying to create (Annie provided some great sites/ideas on how to come up with palettes too)</li>\r\n	<li>Typography increases comprehension, so choose typefaces carefully and don’t use too many fonts (she says having two is good: one serif, one sans serif)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOne important tidbit I learned from Annie was how to make em-dashes on WordPress. All you have to do is use the Omega button to access special characters. I\'ve already done it in this post!\r\n\r\nYou can read her slides <a href=\"http://www.durablecreative.com/wc17/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, and see her excellent suggestions on where to get color palette ideas.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere were dozens of other sessions on three different tracks.  Some were targeted to developers and some to those who work in government or big institutions. Most of them should be available on <a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/category/wordcamptv/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress TV.</a>\r\n\r\nI highly recommend attending a WordCamp in person. It’s fun, you’ll learn new stuff and great hacks, meet new people, and not to mention, you\'ll get a t-shirt. For a list of upcoming WordCamps, just check <a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">WordCamp Central</a>. There are WordCamps everywhere!','4 lessons from WordCamp DC that will improve your website','','inherit','open','open','','3532-revision-v1','','','2017-07-18 09:27:23','2017-07-18 13:27:23','',3532,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/07/3532-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3537,4,'2017-07-27 13:58:23','2017-07-27 17:58:23','This past Saturday, Jim Vance died after being diagnosed with cancer back in May. Jim Vance was the long-time (45 years!) anchor at Washington\'s NBC affiliate, WRC (channel 4). His death created a tremendous outpouring of grief, from his colleagues, and from the many people in the area who watched him on TV. You can see how NBC4 reported it <a href=\"http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/News4-Anchor-Jim-Vance-Dies-at-75-436001373.html\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n\r\nWhen I first read the news of Vance\'s death on Saturday morning I was not surprised (he had announced on air he had cancer and I hadn\'t seen him on the news desk in several weeks even though he had said he would work as his treatment allowed), but I was incredibly saddened. I\'ve watched NBC4\'s evening news for many years, and liked watching him and his anchor partner Doreen Gentzler. I liked how they interacted, how genuinely friendly they were with each other and with the other reporters. I especially remember how Vance paid tribute to Doreen when she celebrated her 25 years of sharing the anchor desk with him.\r\n\r\nSince his death, I have come to learn more about Jim Vance. He was incredibly active in his community—speaking at high school graduations, funding scholarships, mentoring others. Many of his colleagues said he lived life to the fullest. A friend of mine told me that as a teen, he met Vance. In other words, Vance was accessible. He was not a distant celebrity, but was part and parcel of his community.\r\n\r\nEvery night on NBC4 this week, they have paid tribute to Vance. You can see how deeply they feel his loss. And what is interesting is how the community misses Vance too. What\'s more, his competitors at other TV stations also paid tribute to him. The news community in DC is tightly-knit. Many reporters have worked at more than one local station. Bruce Johnson, who now anchors at the CBS affiliate, WUSA-9, had been friends with Vance. He devoted his show, Off Script, on Monday night to Jim Vance and to helping people quit smoking, an addiction which most likely caused Vance\'s cancer.\r\n\r\n<strong>Local TV news still matters.</strong> Whether you watch at 6:00 a.m. to get a read on the day\'s traffic and weather, or at 11:00 p.m. to see what happened in your community, you watch the local TV news to connect to where you live. And because you probably do this habitually, you connect to the people who deliver the news to you. They also live here. They know how hot or how cold or how rainy it is, because they too had to deal with it on their way to work.  Local news anchors care about traffic and construction and local crime, because it affects them personally and their families. And because they care about what is going on here, we care about them.\r\n\r\nIn this age where it seems social media dominates, it\'s important to realize that people still watch TV news, and they connect with the people they see on the anchor desk.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Proof that local TV news still matters','','inherit','open','open','','3536-revision-v1','','','2017-07-27 13:58:23','2017-07-27 17:58:23','',3536,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/07/3536-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3539,4,'2017-08-01 10:18:08','2017-08-01 14:18:08','I was going to write a post about how Anthony Scaramucci, the shortest-lived White House Communications Director in history, embodies the problem at the core of the Trump administration\'s communications failures, and then the \"Mooch\" got fired after 10 days on the job.\r\n\r\nBasically, Scaramucci got fired because he failed at Communications 101. He was bound to fail also because he was not the right person for the job. He had no experience in communications, and his actions showed it. As the wrong person for the job, he got hired by a boss and an administration that don\'t understand communications fundamentals.\r\n\r\n<strong>The communications person is never the story</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst, Scaramucci failed because he broke the cardinal rule for communications pros: he became the story. As anybody who has worked in public relations/communications knows, the comms person is there to help get the story out. Under no circumstances are you to become the story.\r\n\r\n<strong>You have to know how news reporters work</strong>\r\n\r\nSecond, Scaramucci did not seem to understand that unless you explicitly state otherwise, everything you say can be quoted. If you have not said something is off the record, it\'s on the record. Period. Reporters are always looking for quotes. That\'s what they do.\r\n\r\n<strong>Just because you feel that you are simpatico, does not mean you are pals hanging out at a bar</strong>\r\n\r\nThird, Scaramucci made himself look extremely crass and stupid by using obscenities where none were needed. We all curse, but we know that in certain circumstances we don\'t. Scaramucci also seems to lack imagination—and here it is—an ability to communicate, in order to convey his thoughts without resorting to obscenities.\r\n\r\n<strong>But the larger problem is a White House that doesn\'t get it</strong>\r\n\r\nIn TrumpWorld, it seems communications is <em>all</em> about marketing. It\'s<em> all</em> about persuasion. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">And it\'s not about sharing information and facts.</span> I don\'t think this country has ever seen such a fact-averse White House ever.\r\n\r\nWhen you practice communications you are aiming to inform, and yes, to persuade. But persuasion is not something to be done with threats and alternative facts. As I have written before, Sean Spicer (the former communications director/press secretary) thought he was in a fight with the White House press corps. He berated them and belittled them and even refused to provide them with information they requested. He turned the cameras off for briefings, thinking that by cutting off video he would be able to control the narrative. He cherry-picked media outlets to respond to that were sympathetic to the president and would not ask any hard questions.\r\n\r\n<strong>Communications is not a one-way street</strong>\r\n\r\nTo communicate, you must inform. You can\'t simply try to force your viewpoint on everyone. We see Trump using Twitter to talk directly to the people. What you don\'t see is Trump using Twitter to respond to questions from the people. To Trump, communication is a one-way street (sort of how he views loyalty too): push your message out and steamroll anyone who questions it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Scaramucci\'s failure is indicative of a much larger problem that does not seem to have a solution: a White House that does not value real communication.</strong>','Why Scaramucci failed','','publish','open','open','','why-scaramucci-failed','','','2017-08-01 10:18:08','2017-08-01 14:18:08','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3539',0,'post','',0),(3540,4,'2017-08-01 10:05:53','2017-08-01 14:05:53','I was going to write a post about how Scaramucci embodies the problem at the core of the Trump administration\'s communications failures, and then the \"Mooch\" got fired after 10 days on the job.\r\n\r\nBasically, Scaramucci got fired because he failed at Communications 101. He was bound to fail also because he was not the right person for the job. He had no experience in communications, and his actions showed it. As the wrong person for the job, he got hired by a boss and an administration that don\'t understand communications fundamentals.\r\n\r\n<strong>The communications person is never the story</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst, Scaramucci failed because he broke the cardinal rule for communications pros: he became the story. As anybody who has worked in public relations/communications knows, the comms person is there to help get the story out. Under no circumstances are you to become the story.\r\n\r\n<strong>You have to know how news reporters work</strong>\r\n\r\nSecond, Scaramucci did not seem to understand that unless you explicitly state otherwise, everything you say can be quoted. If you have not said something is off the record, it\'s on the record. Period. Reporters are always looking for quotes. That\'s what they do.\r\n\r\n<strong>Just because you feel that you are simpatico, does not mean you are pals hanging out at a bar</strong>\r\n\r\nThird, Scaramucci made himself look extremely crass and stupid by using obscenities where none were needed. We all curse, but we know that in certain circumstances we don\'t. Scaramucci also seems to lack imagination—and here it is—an ability to communicate, in order to convey his thoughts without resorting to obscenities.\r\n\r\nBut the larger problem is a White House that doesn\'t get it\r\n\r\nIn TrumpWorld, it seems communications is all about marketing. It\'s all about persuasion. And it\'s not about sharing information and facts. I don\'t think this country has ever seen such a fact-averse White House ever.\r\n\r\nWhen you practice communications you are aiming to inform, and yes, to persuade. But persuasion is not something to be done with threats and alternative facts. Sean Spicer (as I have written before) thought he was in a fight with the White House press corps. He berated them and belittled them and even refused to provide information. He turned the cameras off for briefings when he did have them. He cherrypicked media outlets that were sympathetic to the president and would not ask any hard questions.','Why Scaramucci failed','','inherit','open','open','','3539-revision-v1','','','2017-08-01 10:05:53','2017-08-01 14:05:53','',3539,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3539-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3541,4,'2017-08-01 10:18:08','2017-08-01 14:18:08','I was going to write a post about how Anthony Scaramucci, the shortest-lived White House Communications Director in history, embodies the problem at the core of the Trump administration\'s communications failures, and then the \"Mooch\" got fired after 10 days on the job.\r\n\r\nBasically, Scaramucci got fired because he failed at Communications 101. He was bound to fail also because he was not the right person for the job. He had no experience in communications, and his actions showed it. As the wrong person for the job, he got hired by a boss and an administration that don\'t understand communications fundamentals.\r\n\r\n<strong>The communications person is never the story</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst, Scaramucci failed because he broke the cardinal rule for communications pros: he became the story. As anybody who has worked in public relations/communications knows, the comms person is there to help get the story out. Under no circumstances are you to become the story.\r\n\r\n<strong>You have to know how news reporters work</strong>\r\n\r\nSecond, Scaramucci did not seem to understand that unless you explicitly state otherwise, everything you say can be quoted. If you have not said something is off the record, it\'s on the record. Period. Reporters are always looking for quotes. That\'s what they do.\r\n\r\n<strong>Just because you feel that you are simpatico, does not mean you are pals hanging out at a bar</strong>\r\n\r\nThird, Scaramucci made himself look extremely crass and stupid by using obscenities where none were needed. We all curse, but we know that in certain circumstances we don\'t. Scaramucci also seems to lack imagination—and here it is—an ability to communicate, in order to convey his thoughts without resorting to obscenities.\r\n\r\n<strong>But the larger problem is a White House that doesn\'t get it</strong>\r\n\r\nIn TrumpWorld, it seems communications is <em>all</em> about marketing. It\'s<em> all</em> about persuasion. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">And it\'s not about sharing information and facts.</span> I don\'t think this country has ever seen such a fact-averse White House ever.\r\n\r\nWhen you practice communications you are aiming to inform, and yes, to persuade. But persuasion is not something to be done with threats and alternative facts. As I have written before, Sean Spicer (the former communications director/press secretary) thought he was in a fight with the White House press corps. He berated them and belittled them and even refused to provide them with information they requested. He turned the cameras off for briefings, thinking that by cutting off video he would be able to control the narrative. He cherry-picked media outlets to respond to that were sympathetic to the president and would not ask any hard questions.\r\n\r\n<strong>Communications is not a one-way street</strong>\r\n\r\nTo communicate, you must inform. You can\'t simply try to force your viewpoint on everyone. We see Trump using Twitter to talk directly to the people. What you don\'t see is Trump using Twitter to respond to questions from the people. To Trump, communication is a one-way street (sort of how he views loyalty too): push your message out and steamroll anyone who questions it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Scaramucci\'s failure is indicative of a much larger problem that does not seem to have a solution: a White House that does not value real communication.</strong>','Why Scaramucci failed','','inherit','open','open','','3539-revision-v1','','','2017-08-01 10:18:08','2017-08-01 14:18:08','',3539,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3539-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3543,4,'2017-08-08 09:07:26','2017-08-08 13:07:26','The other night, I heard a loud, scratching noise in my chimney. It sounded as if  an animal had gotten in. My first thought (and fear) was that a small bat was in there and it would then come into the house. Since it was close to midnight, there was nothing I could do except check the website for the local animal trapping company that I\'ve see working in my neighborhood. According to Google results, their office opened at 7:00 a.m. The website listed an 800 number, and four local-area numbers. I decided to call first thing to see if they would send someone right away.\r\n\r\nAt 7:00 the next morning I called up the company. I got a message saying their offices opened at 8:00 a.m. Their Google My Business listing was wrong and their website did not list hours at all.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSometimes companies spend more time and money on developing new marketing or on sales pitches, and they forget to check the basics. So, before you do anything else marketing-related, check your current stuff for accuracy. Do it now. Seriously.\r\n\r\n<strong>What to check:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Business name (is it complete, spelled correctly?)</li>\r\n	<li>Address/es (accurate, current?)</li>\r\n	<li>Telephone number/s (accurate, current?)</li>\r\n	<li>Website URL</li>\r\n	<li>Hours/days of operation</li>\r\n	<li>Staff names/positions/contact information</li>\r\n	<li>Email addresses</li>\r\n	<li>Pricing information</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Where to check:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Your website</li>\r\n	<li>Your social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)</li>\r\n	<li>Google results/Google maps/Google My Business</li>\r\n	<li>Yelp and other review or listing sites (e.g., Angie\'s List) you appear in</li>\r\n	<li>Printed materials (business cards, brochures, letterhead, postcards, etc.)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the end, I was able to get the animal trapping company to come to my house later in the day. They checked the chimney and nothing was there (thank goodness!). They put some mesh on the chimney cap to prevent bats or birds from getting in.\r\n\r\nThis company has plenty of business around here. I\'ve seen their trucks before as squirrels are constantly getting into attics (and bats are always in the belfry). They certainly have developed brand recognition. But you only call them when you need them and it is usually an urgent situation. Having multiple phone numbers and inaccurate hours is not helpful for anybody needing their services.\r\n\r\n<strong>Any organization needs to consider what information potential users/customers/donors need to have, and then make sure that information is easily <em>available and accurate</em>. It just makes good marketing/communications sense.</strong>','Check for accuracy STAT','','publish','open','open','','check-for-accuracy-stat','','','2017-08-08 09:07:26','2017-08-08 13:07:26','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3543',0,'post','',0),(3544,4,'2017-08-08 09:04:00','2017-08-08 13:04:00','The other night, I heard a loud, scratching noise in my chimney. It sounded as if  an animal had gotten in. My first thought (and fear) was that a small bat was in there and it would then come into the house. Since it was close to midnight, there was nothing I could do except check the website for the local animal trapping company that I\'ve see working in my neighborhood. According to Google results, their office opened at 7:00 a.m. The website listed an 800 number, and four local-area numbers. I decided to call first thing to see if they would send someone right away.\r\n\r\nAt 7:00 the next morning I called up the company. I got a message saying their offices opened at 8:00 a.m. Their Google My Business listing was wrong and their website did not list hours at all.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSometimes companies spend more time and money on developing new marketing or on sales pitches, and they forget to check the basics. So, before you do anything else marketing-related, check your current stuff for accuracy. Do it now. Seriously.\r\n\r\n<strong>What to check:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Business name (is it complete, spelled correctly?)</li>\r\n	<li>Address/es (accurate, current?)</li>\r\n	<li>Telephone number/s (accurate, current?)</li>\r\n	<li>Website URL</li>\r\n	<li>Hours/days of operation</li>\r\n	<li>Staff names/positions/contact information</li>\r\n	<li>Email addresses</li>\r\n	<li>Pricing information</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Where to check:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Your website</li>\r\n	<li>Your social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)</li>\r\n	<li>Google results/Google maps/Google My Business</li>\r\n	<li>Yelp and other review or listing sites (e.g., Angie\'s List) you appear in</li>\r\n	<li>Printed materials (business cards, brochures, letterhead, postcards, etc.)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the end, I was able to get the animal trapping company to come to my house later in the day. They checked the chimney and nothing was there (thank goodness!). They put some mesh on the chimney cap to prevent bats or birds from getting in.\r\n\r\nThis company has plenty of business around here. I\'ve seen their trucks before as squirrels are constantly getting into attics (and bats are always in the belfry). They certainly have developed brand recognition. But you only call them when you need them and it is usually an urgent situation. Having multiple phone numbers and inaccurate hours is not helpful.\r\n\r\nAny organization needs to consider what information potential users/customers/donors need to have and then make sure that information is easily available and accurate. It just makes good marketing/communications sense.','Check for accuracy STAT','','inherit','open','open','','3543-revision-v1','','','2017-08-08 09:04:00','2017-08-08 13:04:00','',3543,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3543-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3545,4,'2017-08-08 09:06:53','2017-08-08 13:06:53','The other night, I heard a loud, scratching noise in my chimney. It sounded as if  an animal had gotten in. My first thought (and fear) was that a small bat was in there and it would then come into the house. Since it was close to midnight, there was nothing I could do except check the website for the local animal trapping company that I\'ve see working in my neighborhood. According to Google results, their office opened at 7:00 a.m. The website listed an 800 number, and four local-area numbers. I decided to call first thing to see if they would send someone right away.\r\n\r\nAt 7:00 the next morning I called up the company. I got a message saying their offices opened at 8:00 a.m. Their Google My Business listing was wrong and their website did not list hours at all.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSometimes companies spend more time and money on developing new marketing or on sales pitches, and they forget to check the basics. So, before you do anything else marketing-related, check your current stuff for accuracy. Do it now. Seriously.\r\n\r\n<strong>What to check:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Business name (is it complete, spelled correctly?)</li>\r\n	<li>Address/es (accurate, current?)</li>\r\n	<li>Telephone number/s (accurate, current?)</li>\r\n	<li>Website URL</li>\r\n	<li>Hours/days of operation</li>\r\n	<li>Staff names/positions/contact information</li>\r\n	<li>Email addresses</li>\r\n	<li>Pricing information</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Where to check:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Your website</li>\r\n	<li>Your social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)</li>\r\n	<li>Google results/Google maps/Google My Business</li>\r\n	<li>Yelp and other review or listing sites (e.g., Angie\'s List) you appear in</li>\r\n	<li>Printed materials (business cards, brochures, letterhead, postcards, etc.)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the end, I was able to get the animal trapping company to come to my house later in the day. They checked the chimney and nothing was there (thank goodness!). They put some mesh on the chimney cap to prevent bats or birds from getting in.\r\n\r\nThis company has plenty of business around here. I\'ve seen their trucks before as squirrels are constantly getting into attics (and bats are always in the belfry). They certainly have developed brand recognition. But you only call them when you need them and it is usually an urgent situation. Having multiple phone numbers and inaccurate hours is not helpful for anybody needing their services.\r\n\r\n<strong>Any organization needs to consider what information potential users/customers/donors need to have, and then make sure that information is easily <em>available and accurate</em>. It just makes good marketing/communications sense.</strong>','Check for accuracy STAT','','inherit','open','open','','3543-revision-v1','','','2017-08-08 09:06:53','2017-08-08 13:06:53','',3543,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3543-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3546,4,'2017-08-15 11:37:38','2017-08-15 15:37:38','<strong>We need your support and we will interrupt your viewing until you give us money!</strong>\r\n\r\nThis seems to be the PBS mission during its pledge drive\r\n\r\nCurrently, it\'s the upteenth day during the upteenth time this year that my local PBS station, WETA, is looking for support from viewers. It may not be endless, but it sure feels like it.\r\n\r\nPledge month (?) is the time when the station starts playing \"specials\" that have been played dozens of times before, and interrupting them every fifteen minutes to ask for your support. In return, you will get any number of mugs/bags/videos/books based on the size of your contribution. Also, every other show seems to get interrupted--the Newshour, Washington Week, and most egregiously, the finale of the Great British Baking Show.\r\n\r\n<strong>Enough!</strong>\r\n\r\nViewers like me do not like to watch tired, old \"specials.\" Viewers like me hate having shows interrupted multiple times by the same talking heads giving repetitious pitches on why to give to the station. Viewers like me do not want mugs or tote bags. Viewers like me click off PBS the instant this pledge madness starts.\r\n\r\n<strong>How can this model work today?</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a newsflash for PBS: Times have changed.\r\n\r\n<em>Hundreds of viewing options</em>\r\n\r\nAll TV channels are under intense competition—both for viewers and for advertising dollars. This is because viewers have many more options for entertainment than ever before: There are hundreds of cable and streaming channels, and also an internet chock-full of stuff to watch, read, react to and interact with.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s an on-demand world</em>\r\n\r\nWith DVRs and/or access to content on demand, people can watch shows on whatever schedule they choose. They can ignore advertising (and pledge drives).\r\n\r\n<em>There\'s a streaming channel for that</em>\r\n\r\nIt used to be that you could only watch British shows like Downton Abbey or Inspector Morse on PBS. Now, you can stream them on specialized British TV/movies channels, and even watch them on Netflix.\r\n\r\n<em>Watch TV wherever you are, whenever you want</em>\r\n\r\nSmartphones and tablets can access the internet anywhere and everywhere. And users of these devices can buy/rent/download all sorts of entertainment to watch even when there is no internet access.\r\n\r\n<strong>Interrupting viewer with a push-message is really old school</strong>\r\n\r\nThese days, inbound marketing is in favor. That\'s when potential customers/supporters come to you because you are providing great content/reasons for them to interact and buy/support from you. Forcing yourself on viewers, like the pledge drive on PBS does, is the complete opposite. It assumes a static audience that does not have any option but to sit there and listen to a sales pitch. It assumes that pushing a message is the best way to get action. It\'s the old way of doing things. And it may help PBS shed viewers, not gain them.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is annoying viewers for a $60 donation the best way to keep PBS afloat?</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you are aiming for lots of small donations, you have to do a lot more work. In this case, it means interrupting viewing more times, more often. It gets annoying. It\'s a turn-off. And I don\'t believe it\'s effective. I think it would be far more effective to concentrate on getting and retaining big, corporate or foundation sponsorships.\r\n\r\nI understand PBS wants community support too. Perhaps instead of asking viewers to donate, PBS could emphasize obtaining a yearly membership with (real) special benefits (currently this is not clear on the PBS website). Instead of having pledge drives, PBS could include a 15-second ad/message for membership before popular shows.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you watch PBS? Do you support PBS? Why or why not?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does PBS get the support of viewers like you? ','','publish','open','open','','does-pbs-get-the-support-of-viewers-like-you','','','2017-08-15 11:37:38','2017-08-15 15:37:38','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3546',0,'post','',0),(3548,4,'2017-08-15 11:37:38','2017-08-15 15:37:38','<strong>We need your support and we will interrupt your viewing until you give us money!</strong>\r\n\r\nThis seems to be the PBS mission during its pledge drive\r\n\r\nCurrently, it\'s the upteenth day during the upteenth time this year that my local PBS station, WETA, is looking for support from viewers. It may not be endless, but it sure feels like it.\r\n\r\nPledge month (?) is the time when the station starts playing \"specials\" that have been played dozens of times before, and interrupting them every fifteen minutes to ask for your support. In return, you will get any number of mugs/bags/videos/books based on the size of your contribution. Also, every other show seems to get interrupted--the Newshour, Washington Week, and most egregiously, the finale of the Great British Baking Show.\r\n\r\n<strong>Enough!</strong>\r\n\r\nViewers like me do not like to watch tired, old \"specials.\" Viewers like me hate having shows interrupted multiple times by the same talking heads giving repetitious pitches on why to give to the station. Viewers like me do not want mugs or tote bags. Viewers like me click off PBS the instant this pledge madness starts.\r\n\r\n<strong>How can this model work today?</strong>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a newsflash for PBS: Times have changed.\r\n\r\n<em>Hundreds of viewing options</em>\r\n\r\nAll TV channels are under intense competition—both for viewers and for advertising dollars. This is because viewers have many more options for entertainment than ever before: There are hundreds of cable and streaming channels, and also an internet chock-full of stuff to watch, read, react to and interact with.\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s an on-demand world</em>\r\n\r\nWith DVRs and/or access to content on demand, people can watch shows on whatever schedule they choose. They can ignore advertising (and pledge drives).\r\n\r\n<em>There\'s a streaming channel for that</em>\r\n\r\nIt used to be that you could only watch British shows like Downton Abbey or Inspector Morse on PBS. Now, you can stream them on specialized British TV/movies channels, and even watch them on Netflix.\r\n\r\n<em>Watch TV wherever you are, whenever you want</em>\r\n\r\nSmartphones and tablets can access the internet anywhere and everywhere. And users of these devices can buy/rent/download all sorts of entertainment to watch even when there is no internet access.\r\n\r\n<strong>Interrupting viewer with a push-message is really old school</strong>\r\n\r\nThese days, inbound marketing is in favor. That\'s when potential customers/supporters come to you because you are providing great content/reasons for them to interact and buy/support from you. Forcing yourself on viewers, like the pledge drive on PBS does, is the complete opposite. It assumes a static audience that does not have any option but to sit there and listen to a sales pitch. It assumes that pushing a message is the best way to get action. It\'s the old way of doing things. And it may help PBS shed viewers, not gain them.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is annoying viewers for a $60 donation the best way to keep PBS afloat?</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you are aiming for lots of small donations, you have to do a lot more work. In this case, it means interrupting viewing more times, more often. It gets annoying. It\'s a turn-off. And I don\'t believe it\'s effective. I think it would be far more effective to concentrate on getting and retaining big, corporate or foundation sponsorships.\r\n\r\nI understand PBS wants community support too. Perhaps instead of asking viewers to donate, PBS could emphasize obtaining a yearly membership with (real) special benefits (currently this is not clear on the PBS website). Instead of having pledge drives, PBS could include a 15-second ad/message for membership before popular shows.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you watch PBS? Do you support PBS? Why or why not?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does PBS get the support of viewers like you? ','','inherit','open','open','','3546-revision-v1','','','2017-08-15 11:37:38','2017-08-15 15:37:38','',3546,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3546-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3676,4,'2018-02-22 10:39:05','2018-02-22 15:39:05','Are you a spy or a spying organization? If so, this post does not apply to you. You definitely want to keep secrets, and be known for your secrecy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Secretive is <em>not</em> a great attribute for non-spy organizations</strong>\r\n\r\nHowever, in general, most businesses should not aim to be known as secretive. And let\'s be clear, I am not talking about being known as an organization that keeps its customer information private and confidential. That\'s a good attribute. I am talking about organizations that don\'t tell you stuff you need to know, like how much things cost or whether pricing has changed. Or what the return/refund policy is. Or who to contact if something is wrong.\r\n\r\n<strong>Changing prices is not something you should be secretive about</strong>\r\n\r\nThere\'s a yoga studio I had been going to most of last year. I was taking a noon class (perfect for my schedule) known as \"value vinyasa\" because it cost $12 instead of the usual $20 (perfect for my budget). I missed a couple classes due to vacation, and when I went to check the schedule when I returned, I noticed that the noon class I had been taking is now known as \"vinyasa flow.\" In the pricing section of the studio\'s website there\'s no mention of the \"value\" classes. The studio sends a weekly newsletter and there was no mention of the change. The value classes had been very quietly (secretively) eliminated.  Does the studio owner think we won\'t notice?\r\n\r\nThere\'s a hiking group I belong to on Meetup.com. The group had been charging $2 for each hike as a way to ensure attendance (people tend to show up for something they\'ve paid for), and to cover the costs of running the group. Without any announcement, the group began charging $5 per hike. There was a lot of questions and outrage posted by  members on the Meetup\'s discussion boards. There was an answer saying that this hiking group is really a nonprofit that now supports various causes, and that the fees were going to be used to raise money for said causes. That was the end of the discussion, and the discussion boards were disabled. The group leader could have easily sent a note to all the members explaining the price hike and the reason for it, but chose to be secretive and not forthcoming. She also chose to shut down discussion, to tamp down discontent with the sudden, unexplained policy change. This is not a good luck for this group, and I have noticed that where hikes used to get filled up really quickly, there are now several spots open.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being secretive, and imposing changes without notification, could backfire.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf your organization is planning to make a change that will affect  your customer\'s interaction with you, you must make sure to announce it. Being secretive may seem like a good way to avoid customer discontent, but it actually increases it. Being secretive communicates to your customer that you are hiding something, or not being upfront, or just don\'t care to keep your customer up to date.\r\n\r\nIn my case, I have stopped going to that yoga studio because I want to pay less than $20 per class, and because I think the studio is not well run. I usually don\'t do hikes until the weather is warmer, but I think I will look for other hiking groups that are more upfront about their policies.\r\n\r\nBeing secretive can cost you customers. Most people value transparency and honesty. If you are being secretive, you are not being transparent or honest. You are hiding something or perhaps you are just being thoughtless in not letting your customers know your policies, costs, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s the bottom line: when you are being secretive, you are not communicating.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Secretive is a good brand attribute for a spy','','inherit','open','open','','3675-revision-v1','','','2018-02-22 10:39:05','2018-02-22 15:39:05','',3675,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3675-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3551,4,'2017-08-31 13:16:33','0000-00-00 00:00:00','No doubt you\'ve seen the many reports about how Donald Trump and his wife Melania visited Texas a couple days ago. Presumably, they were there to tour the disaster spawned by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain on the greater Houston area, an unprecedented amount, causing massive flooding and displacement of thousands of people.\r\n\r\nTrump and his wife were both panned and criticized. Trump for his boasts and supreme lack of empathy, and Melania for what she was wearing (stilettos to get on the plane, as if she were taking a walk to the nearest fashion show). I agree with the criticism, but this is not a political post. It\'s a post about what is commonly called optics—how things look to others. Controlling optics is one of the many jobs a communicator, especially a public relations person, can do.','How to tour a disaster zone','','draft','open','open','','','','','2017-08-31 13:16:33','2017-08-31 17:16:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3551',0,'post','',0),(3552,4,'2017-08-31 13:12:51','2017-08-31 17:12:51','No doubt you\'ve seen the many reports about how Donald Trump and his wife Melania visited Texas a couple days ago. Presumably, they were there to tour the disaster spawned by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain on the greater Houston area, an unprecedented amount, causing massive flooding and displacement of thousands of people.\r\n\r\nTrump and his wife were both panned and criticized. Trump for his boasts and supreme lack of empathy, and Melania for what she was wearing (stilettos to get on the plane, as if she were taking a walk to the nearest fashion show). I agree with the criticism, but this is not a political post. It\'s a post about what is commonly called optics—how things look to others. Controlling optics is one of the many jobs a communicator, especially a public relations person, can do.','How to tour a disaster zone','','inherit','open','open','','3551-revision-v1','','','2017-08-31 13:12:51','2017-08-31 17:12:51','',3551,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/08/3551-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3554,4,'2017-09-04 13:17:14','2017-09-04 17:17:14','<h3>Project</h3>\r\nPerhaps you want to hire us to work on a single project. You\'ll give us all the relevant information, including target audience for the project, timelines and existing materials. Once we\'ve assessed what you need, we will provide you with a written time and cost estimate before beginning.\r\n\r\nProjects are payable with a 30% to 50% deposit to start, and the balance due once the project is complete.\r\n<h3>Retainer</h3>\r\nIf you require ongoing marketing help or know you will have many projects over two months or more, we will set up a retainer agreement. We will estimate how many hours of time you will require per month. We will agree on a cost and number of hours. Retainer agreements are payable on a monthly or bi-weekly schedule. Retainers can be dissolved in writing.\r\n<h3>Payment</h3>\r\nWe accept business or personal checks, credit cards via PayPal, cash and money orders. Paying by credit card incurs an additional 3% surcharge.  Our policy is 30 days net for most invoices. As a small business, we cannot afford to extend credit to our clients, and we respectfully request full payment as and when invoiced.\r\n<h3>Late Fees</h3>\r\n<strong></strong>Invoices that are not paid after 30 days from date of invoice are subject to late fees on the following schedule:\r\n\r\n31-60 days: 20% late fee\r\n\r\n61-90 days: 25% late fee\r\n\r\n91-120 days: 30% late fee\r\n\r\nAny invoice that is unpaid after 121 days will be subject to a 50% late fee, remitted to immediate collection, and the client relationship will be immediately terminated.\r\n<h3>No work on spec</h3>\r\nFinally, DBMC does not provide spec work. If you require a sample, we will provide you with work done for previous clients. If you want us to produce something specifically for you, we require payment.','How We Work','','inherit','open','open','','42-revision-v1','','','2017-09-04 13:17:14','2017-09-04 17:17:14','',42,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/42-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3555,4,'2017-09-04 13:18:27','2017-09-04 17:18:27','Written materials are the cornerstone of marketing communications. Clear, concise and convincing writing will make your marketing materials and your business stand out.\r\n\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications writes:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Website content</li>\r\n	<li>Blog posts</li>\r\n	<li>Marketing collateral\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Brochures</li>\r\n	<li>Flyers</li>\r\n	<li>Taglines</li>\r\n	<li>Ebooks</li>\r\n	<li>Newsletter copy</li>\r\n	<li>Email copy</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n	<li>Advertising copy</li>\r\n	<li>Public relations materials\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Press releases</li>\r\n	<li>Executive biographies</li>\r\n	<li>Position papers</li>\r\n	<li>White papers</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n	<li>Messaging materials\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Key messages</li>\r\n	<li>Company descriptions</li>\r\n	<li>Boilerplate</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWriting fee: $125 per hour','Writing/Copywriting','','inherit','open','open','','49-revision-v1','','','2017-09-04 13:18:27','2017-09-04 17:18:27','',49,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/49-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3556,4,'2017-09-04 13:19:03','2017-09-04 17:19:03','Where does your brochure or website fit in with your marketing and communications plan? Every marketing piece you put out should be a tactic in the larger strategy of marketing your product, service or company. Deborah Brody Marketing Communications will give you specific, creative marketing ideas, tactics and strategies.\r\n<h3>Blog consulting</h3>\r\nWhere does your blog fit in your overall communications plan? Is it achieving results?\r\n<h3>Social media consulting</h3>\r\nAre you using social media effectively? Are you reaching your goals? We\'ll help you determine what is working and what is not, and how to fix it.\r\n<h3>Communications audits</h3>\r\nAre your key messages relevant? What marketing collateral do you need and which could you get rid of? We will assess your materials and provide recommendations.\r\n\r\nCommunications consulting fee: $125 per hour','Consulting','','inherit','open','open','','51-revision-v1','','','2017-09-04 13:19:03','2017-09-04 17:19:03','',51,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/51-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3557,4,'2017-09-04 13:19:28','2017-09-04 17:19:28','Copy editing helps bring clarity, consistency and accuracy to your documents.\r\n\r\nDepending on the document, you may need more or less editing. In all cases, your document will be checked for clarity (what you really mean to say), grammar, spelling,  punctuation, usage, and consistency.\r\n\r\nCopy editing fee: $60 per hour\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Copy Editing','','inherit','open','open','','2850-revision-v1','','','2017-09-04 13:19:28','2017-09-04 17:19:28','',2850,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/2850-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3558,4,'2017-09-04 13:19:56','2017-09-04 17:19:56','Copy editing helps bring clarity, consistency, and accuracy to your documents.\r\n\r\nDepending on the document, you may need more or less editing. In all cases, your document will be checked for clarity (what you really mean to say), grammar, spelling,  punctuation, usage, and consistency.\r\n\r\nCopy editing fee: $60 per hour\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Copy Editing','','inherit','open','open','','2850-revision-v1','','','2017-09-04 13:19:56','2017-09-04 17:19:56','',2850,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/2850-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3559,4,'2017-09-07 15:56:31','2017-09-07 19:56:31','A few weeks ago, I dropped my old Samsung smartphone, rendering it useless. Panicked at the thought of not being able to check Facebook on the fly (kidding), I ran over to the ATT store nearest me. There, a very young person pretending to be a customer service agent, did <em>not</em> help me get a phone.\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s why care matters</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst, I had a contact lens emergency. I asked to use the restroom to deal with it. The young lady said no restroom was available. Evidently, ATT does not care about the well being and comfort of visitors to its stores.\r\n\r\nSecond, I asked her to see a Galaxy S7. She told me they don\'t have them in stock. Only the more expensive Galaxy S8s. I don\'t want to spend the extra money I told her. She then said maybe it could be shipped to me, but that it would take a week. A week? Without a phone? I asked her if  she could check availability at nearby retailers. No, she said, she couldn\'t possibly do that. Could she expedite shipping then? No, she couldn\'t do that either.\r\n\r\nThird, and finally, I said: \"What if I go over to the Sprint or T-Mobile store then? I am not under contract with ATT.\" She shrugged. She didn\'t care. I left.\r\n\r\n<strong>Another young person without a clue</strong>\r\n\r\nI drove up the street to BestBuy. There, the store did have some Galaxy S7s in stock. However, the young (notice a theme here) \"sales\" person was not super helpful. He did get me a phone, but only after telling me several times that I should get the S8. He also tried to scare me into getting GeekSquad protection. And into getting a screen protector, case, charger, etc. In short, he was being a real pain. And to boot, he would not even try to get my contacts and other information off my old phone. I am not even going into the whole story but suffice it to say that the 24-year-old had a horrible attitude.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being helpful  and trying to resolve problems goes a very long way</strong>\r\n\r\nI ended up speaking to the kid\'s manager, who promised to speak to him and to help me out. The next day, the much nicer (and older) manager spent nearly two hours with me, getting the stuff off the old phone and transferring it to my new phone and to a flash drive. He saved the day for me, and gave me a much more positive view of BestBuy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Complaining to ATT garnered zero action</strong>\r\n\r\nI called ATT and after dealing with the most annoying robot, I got through to a customer care agent. I told her I had a complaint about the store I went to. She put me through to a manager who didn\'t see a problem, didn\'t even ask what store it was or the name of the employee. I then tweeted the wrongly named @attcares. No care there either.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is all well that ends well?</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the end, I have a working phone. I have my contacts. I have my photos. I don\'t have voice mail but that is the subject for another day.\r\n\r\nATT can market all they want but unless they start showing some care, I will not stick with them as a customer. Their Twitter \"customer service\" is slow to respond, and that makes it nearly useless. Their customer service via phone has gonedown hill. If you have a problem with ATT, it seems you are on your own.\r\n\r\nWe are fine with any company until there is a problem that the company will not<em> try t</em>o solve. If a company shows genuine care (like the BestBuy manager did), you are willing to overlook the problem. If a company does not show care (like ATT), you are not willing to give it a second chance.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you stick with companies that treat you poorly? How important for you is it to get good customer service?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Care matters more than marketing','','publish','open','open','','care-matters-more-than-marketing','','','2017-09-07 15:56:31','2017-09-07 19:56:31','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3559',0,'post','',0),(3560,4,'2017-09-07 15:56:31','2017-09-07 19:56:31','A few weeks ago, I dropped my old Samsung smartphone, rendering it useless. Panicked at the thought of not being able to check Facebook on the fly (kidding), I ran over to the ATT store nearest me. There, a very young person pretending to be a customer service agent, did <em>not</em> help me get a phone.\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s why care matters</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst, I had a contact lens emergency. I asked to use the restroom to deal with it. The young lady said no restroom was available. Evidently, ATT does not care about the well being and comfort of visitors to its stores.\r\n\r\nSecond, I asked her to see a Galaxy S7. She told me they don\'t have them in stock. Only the more expensive Galaxy S8s. I don\'t want to spend the extra money I told her. She then said maybe it could be shipped to me, but that it would take a week. A week? Without a phone? I asked her if  she could check availability at nearby retailers. No, she said, she couldn\'t possibly do that. Could she expedite shipping then? No, she couldn\'t do that either.\r\n\r\nThird, and finally, I said: \"What if I go over to the Sprint or T-Mobile store then? I am not under contract with ATT.\" She shrugged. She didn\'t care. I left.\r\n\r\n<strong>Another young person without a clue</strong>\r\n\r\nI drove up the street to BestBuy. There, the store did have some Galaxy S7s in stock. However, the young (notice a theme here) \"sales\" person was not super helpful. He did get me a phone, but only after telling me several times that I should get the S8. He also tried to scare me into getting GeekSquad protection. And into getting a screen protector, case, charger, etc. In short, he was being a real pain. And to boot, he would not even try to get my contacts and other information off my old phone. I am not even going into the whole story but suffice it to say that the 24-year-old had a horrible attitude.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being helpful  and trying to resolve problems goes a very long way</strong>\r\n\r\nI ended up speaking to the kid\'s manager, who promised to speak to him and to help me out. The next day, the much nicer (and older) manager spent nearly two hours with me, getting the stuff off the old phone and transferring it to my new phone and to a flash drive. He saved the day for me, and gave me a much more positive view of BestBuy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Complaining to ATT garnered zero action</strong>\r\n\r\nI called ATT and after dealing with the most annoying robot, I got through to a customer care agent. I told her I had a complaint about the store I went to. She put me through to a manager who didn\'t see a problem, didn\'t even ask what store it was or the name of the employee. I then tweeted the wrongly named @attcares. No care there either.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is all well that ends well?</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the end, I have a working phone. I have my contacts. I have my photos. I don\'t have voice mail but that is the subject for another day.\r\n\r\nATT can market all they want but unless they start showing some care, I will not stick with them as a customer. Their Twitter \"customer service\" is slow to respond, and that makes it nearly useless. Their customer service via phone has gonedown hill. If you have a problem with ATT, it seems you are on your own.\r\n\r\nWe are fine with any company until there is a problem that the company will not<em> try t</em>o solve. If a company shows genuine care (like the BestBuy manager did), you are willing to overlook the problem. If a company does not show care (like ATT), you are not willing to give it a second chance.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Do you stick with companies that treat you poorly? How important for you is it to get good customer service?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Care matters more than marketing','','inherit','open','open','','3559-revision-v1','','','2017-09-07 15:56:31','2017-09-07 19:56:31','',3559,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3559-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3562,4,'2017-09-14 10:04:45','2017-09-14 14:04:45','Yesterday, I was browsing through books in my favorite used bookstore (where you can get most soft cover books for $2 each, a real bargain, and most books are in great shape to boot). As I was making my way through the Fiction section, I came across Diane Ackerman\'s <em>The Zookeeper\'s Wife</em>, which is the <em>real</em> life story of a Polish woman who saved Jews during World War II, thus making it a non-fiction book. I came across a Denise Mina book that should\'ve been housed in the Mystery section. I came across memoirs and biographies. In short, there were a lot of books that were not classified correctly and therefore shelved in the wrong place.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3565\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-3565\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"bookstore shelves\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" /></a> Bookstore picture courtesy of Kaboompics[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Being in the wrong place makes it hard to be found.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe used bookstore is volunteer-run, and it may be too much to ask volunteers  to know what each book is or where it belongs. Since books are donated, there is no inventory. On the other hand, in a regular bookstore, books are shelved by ISBN numbers and inventories are computerized. It\'d be rare that book was shelved in the wrong place, unless a customer put it back where it didn\'t belong. If you were looking for a particular book, you could ask someone to look it up to see if it is available and if so, where it is located.\r\n\r\n<strong>Classification is important, especially on the internet.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThe internet is more like the used bookstore than it is like the organized world of Barnes &amp; Noble. The internet is pretty much volunteer-run and the volunteers are each website\'s owners. In other words, on the internet you self-classify—you put yourself on the right (or wrong) shelf.\r\n\r\nAs the website owner or manager, you choose how you want your site to look, what content to include, and what keywords to use. You choose whether you will optimize your site to be found on search engines (SEO) and whether you will do it well  (use the right tools, or hire a professional) or not.\r\n\r\nWhen  you want to be found, especially online,  you have to know how to describe yourself and where people would look for you. You have to know how you are classified and what keywords people use to find you.\r\n\r\n<strong>You must understand yourself and your market.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the used bookstore, there are some volunteers who are avid readers, some who are aces as alphabetization and organization, and some who just want to help but have no clues. The volunteers who can alphabetize, organize <em>and</em> know books well what are the ones who know the right place to shelve a book.\r\n\r\nYou have to understand exactly what to do, and how the world classifies you. You may think that you do one thing (like Mattress Firm thinks it sells \"sleep solutions\") while  most customers see you differently (customers shop for mattresses not sleep solutions). It may be tempting to figure out some fancy description to help you stand out, but unless you classify yourself correctly and use the more common keywords searchers would use, you will not be found.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t be the memoir languishing in the fiction section. Classify your website correctly and use the right keywords.</strong>','When you want to be found','','publish','open','open','','when-you-want-to-be-found','','','2017-09-14 10:04:45','2017-09-14 14:04:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3562',0,'post','',0),(3563,4,'2017-09-13 09:16:49','2017-09-13 13:16:49','Yesterday, I was browsing through books in my favorite used bookstore (where you can get most soft cover books for $2 each, a real bargain, and most books are in great shape to boot). As I was making my way through the Fiction section, I came across Diane Ackerman\'s <em>The Zookeeper\'s Wife</em>, which the real life story of a Polish woman who saved Jews during World War II, making it a non-fiction book. I came across a Denise Mina book that should\'ve been housed in the Mystery section. I came across memoirs and biographies. In short, there were a lot of books that were shelved incorrectly.\r\n\r\nBeing in the wrong place makes it hard to be found.\r\n\r\nWhen  you want to be found, you have to know how to describe yourself and where people would look for you.','When you want to be found','','inherit','open','open','','3562-revision-v1','','','2017-09-13 09:16:49','2017-09-13 13:16:49','',3562,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3562-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3564,4,'2017-09-13 10:13:29','2017-09-13 14:13:29','Yesterday, I was browsing through books in my favorite used bookstore (where you can get most soft cover books for $2 each, a real bargain, and most books are in great shape to boot). As I was making my way through the Fiction section, I came across Diane Ackerman\'s <em>The Zookeeper\'s Wife</em>, which the <em>real</em> life story of a Polish woman who saved Jews during World War II, thus making it a non-fiction book. I came across a Denise Mina book that should\'ve been housed in the Mystery section. I came across memoirs and biographies. In short, there were a lot of books that were not classified correctly and therefore shelved in the wrong place.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being in the wrong place makes it hard to be found.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe used bookstore is volunteer-run, and it may be too much to ask volunteers  to know what each book is or where it belongs. Since books are donated, there is no inventory. In a regular bookstore, books are shelved by ISBN numbers and inventories are computerized. It\'d be rare that book was mis-shelved unless a customer put it back where it didn\'t belong. If you were looking for a particular book, you could ask someone to look it up to see if it is available and if so, where it is located.\r\n\r\n<strong>Classification is important.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen  you want to be found, especially online,  you have to know how to describe yourself and where people would look for you. In other words, you have to know how you are classified and what keywords people use to find you.','When you want to be found','','inherit','open','open','','3562-revision-v1','','','2017-09-13 10:13:29','2017-09-13 14:13:29','',3562,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3562-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3565,4,'2017-09-14 10:00:32','2017-09-14 14:00:32','','kaboompics_Rows of different colorful books lying on the shelves in the modern urban bookshop','Bookstore picture courtesy of Kaboompics','inherit','open','open','','kaboompics_rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop','','','2017-09-14 10:01:01','2017-09-14 14:01:01','',3562,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3566,4,'2017-09-14 10:01:36','2017-09-14 14:01:36','Yesterday, I was browsing through books in my favorite used bookstore (where you can get most soft cover books for $2 each, a real bargain, and most books are in great shape to boot). As I was making my way through the Fiction section, I came across Diane Ackerman\'s <em>The Zookeeper\'s Wife</em>, which is the <em>real</em> life story of a Polish woman who saved Jews during World War II, thus making it a non-fiction book. I came across a Denise Mina book that should\'ve been housed in the Mystery section. I came across memoirs and biographies. In short, there were a lot of books that were not classified correctly and therefore shelved in the wrong place.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3565\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"200\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-3565 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"bookstore shelves\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" /></a> Bookstore picture courtesy of Kaboompics[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Being in the wrong place makes it hard to be found.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe used bookstore is volunteer-run, and it may be too much to ask volunteers  to know what each book is or where it belongs. Since books are donated, there is no inventory. On the other hand, in a regular bookstore, books are shelved by ISBN numbers and inventories are computerized. It\'d be rare that book was shelved in the wrong place, unless a customer put it back where it didn\'t belong. If you were looking for a particular book, you could ask someone to look it up to see if it is available and if so, where it is located.\r\n\r\n<strong>Classification is important, especially on the internet.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThe internet is more like the used bookstore than it is like the organized world of Barnes &amp; Noble. The internet is pretty much volunteer-run and the volunteers are each website\'s owners. In other words, on the internet you self-classify—you put yourself on the right (or wrong) shelf.\r\n\r\nAs the website owner or manager, you choose how you want your site to look, what content to include, and what keywords to use. You choose whether you will optimize your site to be found on search engines (SEO) and whether you will do it well  (use the right tools, or hire a professional) or not.\r\n\r\nWhen  you want to be found, especially online,  you have to know how to describe yourself and where people would look for you. You have to know how you are classified and what keywords people use to find you.\r\n\r\n<strong>You must understand yourself and your market.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the used bookstore, there are some volunteers who are avid readers, some who are aces as alphabetization and organization, and some who just want to help but have no clues. The volunteers who can alphabetize, organize <em>and</em> know books well what are the ones who know the right place to shelve a book.\r\n\r\nYou have to understand exactly what to do, and how the world classifies you. You may think that you do one thing (like Mattress Firm thinks it sells \"sleep solutions\") while  most customers see you differently (customers shop for mattresses not sleep solutions). It may be tempting to figure out some fancy description to help you stand out, but unless you classify yourself correctly and use the more common keywords searchers would use, you will not be found.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t be the memoir languishing in the fiction section. Classify your website correctly and use the right keywords.</strong>','When you want to be found','','inherit','open','open','','3562-revision-v1','','','2017-09-14 10:01:36','2017-09-14 14:01:36','',3562,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3562-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3568,4,'2017-09-14 10:03:50','2017-09-14 14:03:50','Yesterday, I was browsing through books in my favorite used bookstore (where you can get most soft cover books for $2 each, a real bargain, and most books are in great shape to boot). As I was making my way through the Fiction section, I came across Diane Ackerman\'s <em>The Zookeeper\'s Wife</em>, which is the <em>real</em> life story of a Polish woman who saved Jews during World War II, thus making it a non-fiction book. I came across a Denise Mina book that should\'ve been housed in the Mystery section. I came across memoirs and biographies. In short, there were a lot of books that were not classified correctly and therefore shelved in the wrong place.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3565\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-3565\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"bookstore shelves\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" /></a> Bookstore picture courtesy of Kaboompics[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Being in the wrong place makes it hard to be found.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe used bookstore is volunteer-run, and it may be too much to ask volunteers  to know what each book is or where it belongs. Since books are donated, there is no inventory. On the other hand, in a regular bookstore, books are shelved by ISBN numbers and inventories are computerized. It\'d be rare that book was shelved in the wrong place, unless a customer put it back where it didn\'t belong. If you were looking for a particular book, you could ask someone to look it up to see if it is available and if so, where it is located.\r\n\r\n<strong>Classification is important, especially on the internet.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThe internet is more like the used bookstore than it is like the organized world of Barnes &amp; Noble. The internet is pretty much volunteer-run and the volunteers are each website\'s owners. In other words, on the internet you self-classify—you put yourself on the right (or wrong) shelf.\r\n\r\nAs the website owner or manager, you choose how you want your site to look, what content to include, and what keywords to use. You choose whether you will optimize your site to be found on search engines (SEO) and whether you will do it well  (use the right tools, or hire a professional) or not.\r\n\r\nWhen  you want to be found, especially online,  you have to know how to describe yourself and where people would look for you. You have to know how you are classified and what keywords people use to find you.\r\n\r\n<strong>You must understand yourself and your market.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the used bookstore, there are some volunteers who are avid readers, some who are aces as alphabetization and organization, and some who just want to help but have no clues. The volunteers who can alphabetize, organize <em>and</em> know books well what are the ones who know the right place to shelve a book.\r\n\r\nYou have to understand exactly what to do, and how the world classifies you. You may think that you do one thing (like Mattress Firm thinks it sells \"sleep solutions\") while  most customers see you differently (customers shop for mattresses not sleep solutions). It may be tempting to figure out some fancy description to help you stand out, but unless you classify yourself correctly and use the more common keywords searchers would use, you will not be found.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t be the memoir languishing in the fiction section. Classify your website correctly and use the right keywords.</strong>','When you want to be found','','inherit','open','open','','3562-revision-v1','','','2017-09-14 10:03:50','2017-09-14 14:03:50','',3562,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3562-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3567,4,'2017-09-14 10:02:31','2017-09-14 14:02:31','Yesterday, I was browsing through books in my favorite used bookstore (where you can get most soft cover books for $2 each, a real bargain, and most books are in great shape to boot). As I was making my way through the Fiction section, I came across Diane Ackerman\'s <em>The Zookeeper\'s Wife</em>, which is the <em>real</em> life story of a Polish woman who saved Jews during World War II, thus making it a non-fiction book. I came across a Denise Mina book that should\'ve been housed in the Mystery section. I came across memoirs and biographies. In short, there were a lot of books that were not classified correctly and therefore shelved in the wrong place.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3565\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"682\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-3565 size-large\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kaboompics_Rows-of-different-colorful-books-lying-on-the-shelves-in-the-modern-urban-bookshop-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"bookstore shelves\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" /></a> Bookstore picture courtesy of Kaboompics[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Being in the wrong place makes it hard to be found.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe used bookstore is volunteer-run, and it may be too much to ask volunteers  to know what each book is or where it belongs. Since books are donated, there is no inventory. On the other hand, in a regular bookstore, books are shelved by ISBN numbers and inventories are computerized. It\'d be rare that book was shelved in the wrong place, unless a customer put it back where it didn\'t belong. If you were looking for a particular book, you could ask someone to look it up to see if it is available and if so, where it is located.\r\n\r\n<strong>Classification is important, especially on the internet.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nThe internet is more like the used bookstore than it is like the organized world of Barnes &amp; Noble. The internet is pretty much volunteer-run and the volunteers are each website\'s owners. In other words, on the internet you self-classify—you put yourself on the right (or wrong) shelf.\r\n\r\nAs the website owner or manager, you choose how you want your site to look, what content to include, and what keywords to use. You choose whether you will optimize your site to be found on search engines (SEO) and whether you will do it well  (use the right tools, or hire a professional) or not.\r\n\r\nWhen  you want to be found, especially online,  you have to know how to describe yourself and where people would look for you. You have to know how you are classified and what keywords people use to find you.\r\n\r\n<strong>You must understand yourself and your market.</strong>\r\n\r\nIn the used bookstore, there are some volunteers who are avid readers, some who are aces as alphabetization and organization, and some who just want to help but have no clues. The volunteers who can alphabetize, organize <em>and</em> know books well what are the ones who know the right place to shelve a book.\r\n\r\nYou have to understand exactly what to do, and how the world classifies you. You may think that you do one thing (like Mattress Firm thinks it sells \"sleep solutions\") while  most customers see you differently (customers shop for mattresses not sleep solutions). It may be tempting to figure out some fancy description to help you stand out, but unless you classify yourself correctly and use the more common keywords searchers would use, you will not be found.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t be the memoir languishing in the fiction section. Classify your website correctly and use the right keywords.</strong>','When you want to be found','','inherit','open','open','','3562-revision-v1','','','2017-09-14 10:02:31','2017-09-14 14:02:31','',3562,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3562-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3569,4,'2017-09-15 09:39:29','2017-09-15 13:39:29','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\nSeptember 2017\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/45625a\" target=\"_blank\">June 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/75c3f9\" target=\"_blank\">April 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/792b39\" target=\"_blank\">December 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a051e8\" target=\"_blank\">October 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"August 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/359a88\" target=\"_blank\">August 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d841f7\" target=\"_blank\">June 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a50a67\" target=\"_blank\">March 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d7ed27\" target=\"_blank\">January 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/987fe6\" target=\"_blank\">November 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2017-09-15 09:39:29','2017-09-15 13:39:29','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3570,4,'2017-09-15 09:40:34','2017-09-15 13:40:34','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2017\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/391dca\" target=\"_blank\">September 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/45625a\" target=\"_blank\">June 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/75c3f9\" target=\"_blank\">April 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/792b39\" target=\"_blank\">December 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a051e8\" target=\"_blank\">October 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"August 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/359a88\" target=\"_blank\">August 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d841f7\" target=\"_blank\">June 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a50a67\" target=\"_blank\">March 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d7ed27\" target=\"_blank\">January 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/987fe6\" target=\"_blank\">November 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2017-09-15 09:40:34','2017-09-15 13:40:34','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3572,4,'2017-09-27 10:16:43','2017-09-27 14:16:43','Have you ever read something that left you shaking your head, where you wondered what exactly the writer was trying to say? That\'s what happens when the writer of what you are reading  lacks the ability to communicate clearly.\r\n\r\nIt\'s important for your communications to be clear, to be easily understood, and not to confuse your audience. How do you achieve this type of clarity? Following are four suggestions:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Know what you are trying to say before you start writing.</strong> Remember in high school when you were taught about a thesis and its supporting points? That lesson should be ingrained in any writer\'s head. Always have a thesis (your premise or argument) and why you support it. It\'s helpful to jot down your thesis (for this piece—clarity is essential to communication) and then your top reasons for supporting it  (for this piece I jotted down too many words, not knowing what you really want to say).\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Balance your assumptions.</strong> Don\'t assume your audience knows too little or too much—find the middle ground that works for your specific audience. To be able to find the middle ground, you must know who is in your audience. Are they insiders? Are they the general public? How much do they know? Have you ever watched <em>Washington Wee</em>k on PBS? I watch it practically every Friday. One quirk they have is that they insist on spelling out every reference. If a journalist on the panel simply says \"McConnell,\" the host quickly adds: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. This assumes the audience won\'t understand the reference to McConnell and yet most people who watch <em>Washington Week</em> are fairly informed and interested in all things political.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Write simply.</strong> Often, clarity is compromised by wordiness or jargon or big words when smaller words would do just fine. It\'s tempting to stuff articles and blog posts with fancy words, and office speak, but what you end up doing is alienating the audience who may not be conversant in your world. So work to eliminate extra words and jargon, and use plain language instead (e.g., if you see the word \"utilize\" substitute \"use\").\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Reread and edit everything before you make it public.</strong> Sometimes we write something and then look it over quickly before we hit \"publish.\" It may make sense to us at that moment, but does it make sense to others? Taking the time to read something slowly, copy edit it, and make sure it says what you want it to say will go a long way in making sure it is clear to <em>others. </em>If possible, get another person to read your copy (a copy editor and/or proofreader)<em>.</em>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Always aim for clarity. If your audience doesn\'t get what you are trying to say, then you haven\'t communicated at all.</span>','Always aim for clarity','','publish','open','open','','always-aim-for-clarity','','','2017-09-27 10:16:43','2017-09-27 14:16:43','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3572',0,'post','',0),(3573,4,'2017-09-26 10:38:57','2017-09-26 14:38:57','Have you ever read something that did not make sense to you? That\'s what happens when the writer of what you are reading  lacks clarity or the ability to communicate clearly.\r\n\r\nIt\'s important for your communications to be clear, to be easily understood, and not to confuse your audience. How do you achieve this type of clarity? There are a few ways.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Know what you are trying to say before you start writing.</strong> Remember in high school when you were taught about a thesis and its supporting points? That lesson should be ingrained in any writer\'s head. Always have a thesis (your premise or argument) and why you support it. It\'s helpful to jot down your thesis (for this piece—clarity is essential to communication) and then your top reasons for supporting it  (for this piece I jotted down too many words, not knowing what you really want to say).\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Write simply.</strong> Often, clarity is compromised by wordiness or jargon or big words when smaller words would do just fine. It\'s tempting to stuff articles and blog posts with fancy words, and office speak, but what you end up doing is alienating the audience who may not be conversant in your world. So work to eliminate extra words and jargon. Instead, use plain language (for reference check the Center for Plain Language website).\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Reread and edit everything before you make it public.</strong> Sometimes we write something and then look it over quickly before we hit \"publish.\" It may make sense to us at that moment, but does it make sense to others? Taking the time to read something slowly, copy edit it, and make sure it says what we want it to say will go a long way in making sure it is clear to <em>others. </em>If possible, get another person to read your copy (a copy editor and/or proofreader)<em>.</em>','Always aim for clarity','','inherit','open','open','','3572-revision-v1','','','2017-09-26 10:38:57','2017-09-26 14:38:57','',3572,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3572-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3574,4,'2017-09-27 10:16:43','2017-09-27 14:16:43','Have you ever read something that left you shaking your head, where you wondered what exactly the writer was trying to say? That\'s what happens when the writer of what you are reading  lacks the ability to communicate clearly.\r\n\r\nIt\'s important for your communications to be clear, to be easily understood, and not to confuse your audience. How do you achieve this type of clarity? Following are four suggestions:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Know what you are trying to say before you start writing.</strong> Remember in high school when you were taught about a thesis and its supporting points? That lesson should be ingrained in any writer\'s head. Always have a thesis (your premise or argument) and why you support it. It\'s helpful to jot down your thesis (for this piece—clarity is essential to communication) and then your top reasons for supporting it  (for this piece I jotted down too many words, not knowing what you really want to say).\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Balance your assumptions.</strong> Don\'t assume your audience knows too little or too much—find the middle ground that works for your specific audience. To be able to find the middle ground, you must know who is in your audience. Are they insiders? Are they the general public? How much do they know? Have you ever watched <em>Washington Wee</em>k on PBS? I watch it practically every Friday. One quirk they have is that they insist on spelling out every reference. If a journalist on the panel simply says \"McConnell,\" the host quickly adds: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. This assumes the audience won\'t understand the reference to McConnell and yet most people who watch <em>Washington Week</em> are fairly informed and interested in all things political.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Write simply.</strong> Often, clarity is compromised by wordiness or jargon or big words when smaller words would do just fine. It\'s tempting to stuff articles and blog posts with fancy words, and office speak, but what you end up doing is alienating the audience who may not be conversant in your world. So work to eliminate extra words and jargon, and use plain language instead (e.g., if you see the word \"utilize\" substitute \"use\").\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Reread and edit everything before you make it public.</strong> Sometimes we write something and then look it over quickly before we hit \"publish.\" It may make sense to us at that moment, but does it make sense to others? Taking the time to read something slowly, copy edit it, and make sure it says what you want it to say will go a long way in making sure it is clear to <em>others. </em>If possible, get another person to read your copy (a copy editor and/or proofreader)<em>.</em>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Always aim for clarity. If your audience doesn\'t get what you are trying to say, then you haven\'t communicated at all.</span>','Always aim for clarity','','inherit','open','open','','3572-revision-v1','','','2017-09-27 10:16:43','2017-09-27 14:16:43','',3572,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/09/3572-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3577,4,'2017-10-10 09:06:57','2017-10-10 13:06:57','I do a lot of research online, and I am definitely not alone. Most people conduct internet research on companies before they choose to do business with them. And this is the reason most organizations have websites, right?\r\n\r\nAnd yet, how many times have you gone searching for something specific, found a few websites, visited them, only to find that few, if any, have the information you need?\r\n\r\nDo you agree that the main point of your business website is to provide potential customers with information they need to make a buying decision? If you do agree , then you should have these two items on your business website:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Pricing</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. A real description of the company and its key personnel (aka \"about\" page)\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nLet\'s discuss each point.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Pricing information is necessary because cost matters in making buying decisions.</strong></em>\r\n\r\nThis is a no-brainer, or should be, and yet most consulting/service industries do not list prices on their website. For example, last month I was looking for a cleaning service.  Since there are many in this area, reviews and referrals matter (you don\'t want a cleaning service that has a track record of breaking stuff or of not dusting your chandeliers), and <em>so does cost</em>. Some cleaning services I found listed specific pricing on their sites, but many did not. Instead, some want you to call to get the estimate, and some want you to fill out online or email forms to provide you a quote.\r\n\r\nBy making pricing information difficult to obtain, you are losing potential customers. People have budgets in mind. They may be able to afford a monthly cleaning service of $150, but not one that costs $200. Why make those customers waste their time, <em>and yours</em>, by having a conversation about something that you can easily post on your website?\r\n\r\nI know for many consultants there is a fear of pricing yourself out of a potential job. However, you know what you want to make from your work, don\'t you? Why would you want a client/customer that is not willing to pay what you think the value of your work is?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>People do business with people, not with vague or non-existent descriptions </strong></em>\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, I was checking out a website designer/developer\'s website, and guess what was missing? An \"about\" page. There was no bio on the designer, no information about when he started his company, or what his experience has been. Not. One. Word. Yes, he included a portfolio of websites that (supposedly) he has designed. But there is no clue as to what sort of person he is, how long he has been doing this work, and why he does it. In other words, by not having an about page, this designer left many questions about his own ability and experience unanswered. Perhaps the one question he did answer is his philosophy on openness and transparency (apparently, not a high priority). And this is yet another reason why you need an about page: you want to build trust and credibility by showing exactly who/what you are.\r\n\r\nBut an about page has to provide real information, not the generic and jargon-filled pile of words one finds on many websites. If you are wondering what to include on your about page, think like a journalist. That is, try answering the 5Ws: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hy, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>here, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hen, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>ho, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hat, and throw in the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">how</span> too.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>What kinds of information, beyond these two points, do you need in order to make a buying decision? Please let me know in the comments.</strong></span>','Two must-haves for your business website','','publish','open','open','','two-must-haves-for-your-business-website','','','2017-10-10 09:06:57','2017-10-10 13:06:57','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3577',0,'post','',0),(3578,4,'2017-10-09 15:21:52','2017-10-09 19:21:52','I do a lot of research online, and I am definitely not alone. Most people research on companies  before they choose to do business with them. And this is the reason most organizations have websites, right?\r\n\r\nAnd yet. How many times have you gone searching for something specific (for example, I am currently looking for a headshot photographer), found a few websites, visited them, only to find that few if any have the information you need?\r\n\r\nDo youagree that the main point of your business website is to provide potential customers with information they need to make a buying decision? If you do agree, then you should have these two items on your business website:\r\n\r\n1. Pricing\r\n\r\n2. A real description of the company and its key personnel','2 must-haves for your business website','','inherit','open','open','','3577-revision-v1','','','2017-10-09 15:21:52','2017-10-09 19:21:52','',3577,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3577-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3579,4,'2017-10-10 09:06:04','2017-10-10 13:06:04','I do a lot of research online, and I am definitely not alone. Most people conduct internet research on companies before they choose to do business with them. And this is the reason most organizations have websites, right?\r\n\r\nAnd yet, how many times have you gone searching for something specific, found a few websites, visited them, only to find that few, if any, have the information you need?\r\n\r\nDo you agree that the main point of your business website is to provide potential customers with information they need to make a buying decision? If you do agree , then you should have these two items on your business website:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Pricing</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. A real description of the company and its key personnel</strong>\r\n\r\nLet\'s discuss each point.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Pricing information is necessary because cost matters in making buying decisions.</strong></em>\r\n\r\nThis is a no-brainer, or should be, and yet most consulting/service industries do not list prices on their website. For example, last month I was looking for a cleaning service.  Since there are many in this area, reviews and referrals matter (you don\'t want a cleaning service that has a track record of breaking stuff or of not dusting your chandeliers), and <em>so does cost</em>. Some cleaning services I found listed specific pricing on their sites, but many did not. Instead, some want you to call to get the estimate, and some want you to fill out online or email forms to provide you a quote.\r\n\r\nBy making pricing information difficult to obtain, you are losing potential customers. People have budgets in mind. They may be able to afford a monthly cleaning service of $150, but not one that costs $200. Why make those customers waste their time, <em>and yours</em>, by having a conversation about something that you can easily post on your website?\r\n\r\nI know for many consultants there is a fear of pricing yourself out of a potential job. However, you know what you want to make from your work, don\'t you? Why would you want a client/customer that is not willing to pay what you think the value of your work is?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>People do business with people, not with vague or non-existent descriptions </strong></em>\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, I was checking out a website designer/developer\'s website, and guess what was missing? An \"about\" page. There was no bio on the designer, no information about when he started his company, or what his experience has been. Not. One. Word. Yes, he included a portfolio of websites that (supposedly) he has designed. But there is no clue as to what sort of person he is, how long he has been doing this work, and why he does it. In other words, by not having an about page, this designer left many questions about his own ability and experience unanswered. Perhaps the one question he did answer is his philosophy on openness and transparency (apparently, not a high priority). And this is yet another reason why you need an about page: you want to build trust and credibility by showing exactly who/what you are.\r\n\r\nBut an about page has to provide real information, not the generic and jargon-filled pile of words one finds on many websites. If you are wondering what to include on your about page, think like a journalist. That is, try answering the 5Ws: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hy, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>here, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hen, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>ho, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hat, and throw in the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">how</span> too.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>What kinds of information, beyond these two points, do you need in order to make a buying decision? Please let me know in the comments.</strong></span>','Two must-haves for your business website','','inherit','open','open','','3577-revision-v1','','','2017-10-10 09:06:04','2017-10-10 13:06:04','',3577,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3577-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3580,4,'2017-10-10 09:06:57','2017-10-10 13:06:57','I do a lot of research online, and I am definitely not alone. Most people conduct internet research on companies before they choose to do business with them. And this is the reason most organizations have websites, right?\r\n\r\nAnd yet, how many times have you gone searching for something specific, found a few websites, visited them, only to find that few, if any, have the information you need?\r\n\r\nDo you agree that the main point of your business website is to provide potential customers with information they need to make a buying decision? If you do agree , then you should have these two items on your business website:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Pricing</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. A real description of the company and its key personnel (aka \"about\" page)\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nLet\'s discuss each point.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Pricing information is necessary because cost matters in making buying decisions.</strong></em>\r\n\r\nThis is a no-brainer, or should be, and yet most consulting/service industries do not list prices on their website. For example, last month I was looking for a cleaning service.  Since there are many in this area, reviews and referrals matter (you don\'t want a cleaning service that has a track record of breaking stuff or of not dusting your chandeliers), and <em>so does cost</em>. Some cleaning services I found listed specific pricing on their sites, but many did not. Instead, some want you to call to get the estimate, and some want you to fill out online or email forms to provide you a quote.\r\n\r\nBy making pricing information difficult to obtain, you are losing potential customers. People have budgets in mind. They may be able to afford a monthly cleaning service of $150, but not one that costs $200. Why make those customers waste their time, <em>and yours</em>, by having a conversation about something that you can easily post on your website?\r\n\r\nI know for many consultants there is a fear of pricing yourself out of a potential job. However, you know what you want to make from your work, don\'t you? Why would you want a client/customer that is not willing to pay what you think the value of your work is?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>People do business with people, not with vague or non-existent descriptions </strong></em>\r\n\r\nJust yesterday, I was checking out a website designer/developer\'s website, and guess what was missing? An \"about\" page. There was no bio on the designer, no information about when he started his company, or what his experience has been. Not. One. Word. Yes, he included a portfolio of websites that (supposedly) he has designed. But there is no clue as to what sort of person he is, how long he has been doing this work, and why he does it. In other words, by not having an about page, this designer left many questions about his own ability and experience unanswered. Perhaps the one question he did answer is his philosophy on openness and transparency (apparently, not a high priority). And this is yet another reason why you need an about page: you want to build trust and credibility by showing exactly who/what you are.\r\n\r\nBut an about page has to provide real information, not the generic and jargon-filled pile of words one finds on many websites. If you are wondering what to include on your about page, think like a journalist. That is, try answering the 5Ws: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hy, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>here, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hen, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>ho, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">w</span>hat, and throw in the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">how</span> too.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>What kinds of information, beyond these two points, do you need in order to make a buying decision? Please let me know in the comments.</strong></span>','Two must-haves for your business website','','inherit','open','open','','3577-revision-v1','','','2017-10-10 09:06:57','2017-10-10 13:06:57','',3577,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3577-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3582,4,'2017-10-20 10:58:05','0000-00-00 00:00:00','In the past couple of weeks, I\'ve been noticing a disturbing trend: many organizations/individuals, who are looking for supporters/customers/clients, are not thinking about what that target audience needs or wants.\r\n\r\nIt\'s as if they\'ve forgotten what they are trying to do.\r\n\r\nClueless business card\r\n\r\nHow about the business card of a company that doesn\'t explain what it is or does. Some businesses have a clue in their name (Bank of So-and-So or So-and-So Real Estate) but some don\'t (So-and-So, Inc.). They give you a card, and you get back to your office and look at it and can\'t figure out what it is they do. Here\'s how you fix it: add a line under the business name.\r\n\r\nSo-and-So, Inc.\r\n\r\nThe best home cleaning solutions\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you overlooking your target?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2017-10-20 10:58:05','2017-10-20 14:58:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3582',0,'post','',0),(3583,4,'2017-10-20 10:58:05','2017-10-20 14:58:05','In the past couple of weeks, I\'ve been noticing a disturbing trend: many organizations/individuals, who are looking for supporters/customers/clients, are not thinking about what that target audience needs or wants.\r\n\r\nIt\'s as if they\'ve forgotten what they are trying to do.\r\n\r\nClueless business card\r\n\r\nHow about the business card of a company that doesn\'t explain what it is or does. Some businesses have a clue in their name (Bank of So-and-So or So-and-So Real Estate) but some don\'t (So-and-So, Inc.). They give you a card, and you get back to your office and look at it and can\'t figure out what it is they do. Here\'s how you fix it: add a line under the business name.\r\n\r\nSo-and-So, Inc.\r\n\r\nThe best home cleaning solutions\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you overlooking your target?','','inherit','open','open','','3582-revision-v1','','','2017-10-20 10:58:05','2017-10-20 14:58:05','',3582,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3582-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3585,4,'2017-10-25 16:19:40','2017-10-25 20:19:40','Today, on my way to the Metro, I walked past where a Mediterranean cafe has been located for the past five years. It was closed, and in the window was a sign saying that \"Amai Japanese Crepe\" was coming soon.\r\n\r\nBy the way, anybody know what the hell a Japanese crepe is?\r\n\r\nWhen I got back to my office, I checked on the web to see if I could figure out what happened. I first went to the cafe\'s website. It\'s still there. Same address. No update on the situation. Then I went to Yelp, and I noticed it said the place was \"temporarily\" closed but  a five-star review had just been posted yesterday. Hmm. Stranger and stranger. I went back to the cafe\'s website, and clicked on their Twitter feed. Last post there was from 2015. Not useful at all. Then I went to the Facebook page. I clicked on \"posts,\" and found one from September 22, which says this:\r\n<blockquote>Thank you everyone for your loyalty and support these past 5 years. We opened in Feburary 2012 and strived to bring a little taste of Isreal and classic Italian espresso to our customers. Now, it\'s time to look to the future. XXX will be closed as of September 22 for renovations. We will be closed for two weeks to improve and update the cafe. We look foward to showing the improved us when we reopen.</blockquote>\r\nErrors above appeared in the original post. I just x\'ed out the name of the restaurant. There was also a picture of the sign about the Japanese crepes. That\'s it. No more information. But now we know the restaurant is changing name and changing focus. What we don\'t know is when this will happen, or what the hell a Japanese crepe is supposed to be.\r\n\r\nTo me, this is a classic and stupid communications failure. Why a failure? Here are the mistakes I see:\r\n\r\n1. Failure to use their website to provide updated information.\r\n\r\n2. Failure to provide complete information on the actual site (something like: XX cafe is transforming. We aim to re-open on [date]).\r\n\r\n3. Failure to use social media appropriately. The Twitter feed should be deleted, and they could provide updates about the renovation, some information about what they will become. Not to mention that Facebook post was from a month ago, where they claim they would re-open in two weeks.\r\n\r\n4. Failure to consider what customers need to know. Maybe this is the biggest problem. Nowhere do you really know what is going on.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hard to say what will happen here. People who came to this place looking for Israeli food are not necessarily going to feel good about a Japanese crepe (whatever that may be). Passersby will think that the old place is gone, and will not necessarily think the new place is associated with the old.\r\n\r\nAs with any change, clear and precise communication is necessary. It seems that to this restaurant, communication with customers is an afterthought.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Closed, or just changing names?','','publish','open','open','','closed-or-just-changing-names','','','2017-10-25 16:19:40','2017-10-25 20:19:40','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3585',0,'post','',0),(3586,4,'2017-10-25 16:18:19','2017-10-25 20:18:19','Today, on my way to the Metro, I walked past where a Mediterranean cafe has been located for the past five years. It was closed, and in the window was a sign saying that \"Amai Japanese Crepe\" was coming soon.\r\n\r\nBy the way, anybody know what the hell a Japanese crepe is?\r\n\r\nWhen I got back to my office, I checked on the web to see if I could figure out what happened. I first went to the cafe\'s website. It\'s still there. Same address. No update on the situation. Then I went to Yelp, and I noticed it said the place was \"temporarily\" closed but  a five-star review had just been posted yesterday. Hmm. Stranger and stranger. I went back to the cafe\'s website, and clicked on their Twitter feed. Last post there was from 2015. Not useful at all. Then I went to the Facebook page. I clicked on \"posts,\" and found one from September 22, which says this:\r\n<blockquote>Thank you everyone for your loyalty and support these past 5 years. We opened in Feburary 2012 and strived to bring a little taste of Isreal and classic Italian espresso to our customers. Now, it\'s time to look to the future. XXX will be closed as of September 22 for renovations. We will be closed for two weeks to improve and update the cafe. We look foward to showing the improved us when we reopen.</blockquote>\r\nErrors above appeared in the original post. I just x\'ed out the name of the restaurant. There was also a picture of the sign about the Japanese crepes. That\'s it. No more information. But now we know the restaurant is changing name and changing focus. What we don\'t know is when this will happen, or what the hell a Japanese crepe is supposed to be.\r\n\r\nTo me, this is a classic and stupid communications failure. Why a failure? Here are the mistakes I see:\r\n\r\n1. Failure to use their website to provide updated information.\r\n\r\n2. Failure to provide complete information on the actual site (something like: XX cafe is transforming. We aim to re-open on [date]).\r\n\r\n3. Failure to use social media appropriately. The Twitter feed should be deleted, and they could provide updates about the renovation, some information about what they will become. Not to mention that Facebook post was from a month ago, where they claim they would re-open in two weeks.\r\n\r\n4. Failure to consider what customers need to know. Maybe this is the biggest problem. Nowhere do you really know what is going on.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hard to say what will happen here. People who came to this place looking for Israeli food are not necessarily going to feel good about a Japanese crepe (whatever that may be). Passersby will think that the old place is gone, and will not necessarily think the new place is associated with the old.\r\n\r\nAs with any change, clear and precise communication is necessary. It seems that to this restaurant, communication with customers is an afterthought.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Closed, or just changing names?','','inherit','open','open','','3585-revision-v1','','','2017-10-25 16:18:19','2017-10-25 20:18:19','',3585,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3585-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3587,4,'2017-10-31 14:30:40','2017-10-31 18:30:40','You know what is (a bit) scary? When you say or write something that you don\'t mean. You don\'t intend to do it, but you do it anyway.\r\n\r\nWhy would you  do something spooky like that?\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">First</span>, it\'s because you use words that you don\'t understand, or you misuse words.</span> This is more common in spoken than in written communications, since we don\'t have the luxury of having a dictionary available when we talk. This type of scary mistake seems to happen a lot in television/cable news.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A political analyst/journalist who said <strong>nonetheless </strong>(which Webster\'s defines as \"in spite of that\") when she really meant <strong>never mind </strong>(which means much less or let alone).</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Someone who said \"from the <strong>outset </strong>(which means beginning or start, and can be used alone, without a modifier, such as,<em> from the outset</em>) <strong>of...</strong>\" when he/she should have said the <strong>onset of </strong>(which also means beginning or commencement, and is usually used in conjunction a phrase, such as in the <em>onset of winter</em>).</p>\r\nIt\'s easy to mess these up. They are very similar in meaning, and similar sounding, but yet are different words with slightly different usages and meanings.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Second</span>, it\'s when you use words that are spelled similarly to what you meant to say, but are not the right word.</span> This happens mostly in written communications, and it mostly happens because you rely on spellcheck, and you don\'t proofread.\r\n\r\nHere are a couple I have seen recently:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A sentence that used <strong>neatly</strong> instead of <strong>nearly</strong>.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">And even more weird, a sentence that used the word <strong>bong</strong> instead of <strong>bond</strong>.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nDon\'t be ghoulish—use your words carefully—and go ahead, have a happy Halloween!\r\n\r\nI\'ve started collecting these, and I intend to publish them once a month. I invite you to share any you find by sending me an email at info@deborahbrody.com.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Be very scared (of poor word choice)','','publish','open','open','','be-very-scared-of-poor-word-choice','','','2017-10-31 14:30:40','2017-10-31 18:30:40','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3587',0,'post','',0),(3588,4,'2017-10-31 11:15:55','2017-10-31 15:15:55','You know what is scary? When you say or write something that you don\'t mean. You don\'t intend to do it, but you do it anyway.\r\n\r\nWhy?\r\n\r\nFirst, it\'s because you use words that you don\'t understand, or, simply put, you misuse words. This is more common in speech than in written communications, since we don\'t have the luxury of having a dictionary available when we talk. This type of scary mistake seems to happen a lot in television/cable news.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples:\r\n\r\nA political analyst/journalist who said <strong>nonetheless </strong>(which Webster\'s defines as \"in spite of that\") when she really meant <strong>never mind </strong>(which means much less or let alone).\r\n\r\nSomeone who said <strong>outset </strong>(which means beginning or start, and can be used alone, without a modifier, such as,<em> from the outset</em>) when he/she should have said <strong>onset </strong>(which also means beginning or commencement, and is usually used in conjunction a phrase, such as in the <em>onset of winter</em>).\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to mess these up. They are very similar and similar sounding, but yet are different words with slightly different usages and meanings.\r\n\r\nSecond, it\'s when you use words that are similar to what you meant to say, but are not the right word. This happens mostly in written communications, and it\'s because you rely on spellcheck and you don\'t proofread.\r\n\r\nHere are a couple I have seen recently:\r\n\r\nA sentence that used <strong>neatly</strong> instead of <strong>nearly</strong>.\r\n\r\nAnd even more weird, a sentence that used the word <strong>bong</strong> instead of <strong>bond</strong>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\'ve started collecting these, and I intend to publish them once a month. I invite you to share any you find by sending me an email at info@deborahbrody.com.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Be very scared','','inherit','open','open','','3587-revision-v1','','','2017-10-31 11:15:55','2017-10-31 15:15:55','',3587,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3587-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3589,4,'2017-10-31 11:18:48','2017-10-31 15:18:48','You know what is (a bit) scary? When you say or write something that you don\'t mean. You don\'t intend to do it, but you do it anyway.\r\n\r\nWhy?\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">First, it\'s because you use words that you don\'t understand, or you misuse words.</span> This is more common in speech than in written communications, since we don\'t have the luxury of having a dictionary available when we talk. This type of scary mistake seems to happen a lot in television/cable news.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples:\r\n\r\nA political analyst/journalist who said <strong>nonetheless </strong>(which Webster\'s defines as \"in spite of that\") when she really meant <strong>never mind </strong>(which means much less or let alone).\r\n\r\nSomeone who said <strong>outset </strong>(which means beginning or start, and can be used alone, without a modifier, such as,<em> from the outset</em>) when he/she should have said <strong>onset </strong>(which also means beginning or commencement, and is usually used in conjunction a phrase, such as in the <em>onset of winter</em>).\r\n\r\nIt\'s easy to mess these up. They are very similar and similar sounding, but yet are different words with slightly different usages and meanings.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Second, it\'s when you use words that are spelled similarly to what you meant to say, but are not the right word.</span> This happens mostly in written communications, and it\'s because you rely on spellcheck and you don\'t proofread.\r\n\r\nHere are a couple I have seen recently:\r\n\r\nA sentence that used <strong>neatly</strong> instead of <strong>nearly</strong>.\r\n\r\nAnd even more weird, a sentence that used the word <strong>bong</strong> instead of <strong>bond</strong>.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nHappy Halloween!\r\n\r\nI\'ve started collecting these, and I intend to publish them once a month. I invite you to share any you find by sending me an email at info@deborahbrody.com.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Be very scared','','inherit','open','open','','3587-revision-v1','','','2017-10-31 11:18:48','2017-10-31 15:18:48','',3587,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3587-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3590,4,'2017-10-31 14:25:42','2017-10-31 18:25:42','You know what is (a bit) scary? When you say or write something that you don\'t mean. You don\'t intend to do it, but you do it anyway.\r\n\r\nWhy would you want to do something spooky (hey, it\'s Halloween) like that?\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">First</span>, it\'s because you use words that you don\'t understand, or you misuse words.</span> This is more common in speech than in written communications, since we don\'t have the luxury of having a dictionary available when we talk. This type of scary mistake seems to happen a lot in television/cable news.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A political analyst/journalist who said <strong>nonetheless </strong>(which Webster\'s defines as \"in spite of that\") when she really meant <strong>never mind </strong>(which means much less or let alone).</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Someone who said <strong>outset </strong>(which means beginning or start, and can be used alone, without a modifier, such as,<em> from the outset</em>) when he/she should have said <strong>onset </strong>(which also means beginning or commencement, and is usually used in conjunction a phrase, such as in the <em>onset of winter</em>).</p>\r\nIt\'s easy to mess these up. They are very similar and similar sounding, but yet are different words with slightly different usages and meanings.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Second</span>, it\'s when you use words that are spelled similarly to what you meant to say, but are not the right word.</span> This happens mostly in written communications, and it\'s because you rely on spellcheck and you don\'t proofread.\r\n\r\nHere are a couple I have seen recently:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A sentence that used <strong>neatly</strong> instead of <strong>nearly</strong>.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">And even more weird, a sentence that used the word <strong>bong</strong> instead of <strong>bond</strong>.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nDon\'t be ghoulish—use your words carefully, but go ahead, have a happy Halloween!\r\n\r\nI\'ve started collecting these, and I intend to publish them once a month. I invite you to share any you find by sending me an email at info@deborahbrody.com.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Be very scared','','inherit','open','open','','3587-revision-v1','','','2017-10-31 14:25:42','2017-10-31 18:25:42','',3587,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3587-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3591,4,'2017-10-31 14:29:56','2017-10-31 18:29:56','You know what is (a bit) scary? When you say or write something that you don\'t mean. You don\'t intend to do it, but you do it anyway.\r\n\r\nWhy would you  do something spooky like that?\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">First</span>, it\'s because you use words that you don\'t understand, or you misuse words.</span> This is more common in spoken than in written communications, since we don\'t have the luxury of having a dictionary available when we talk. This type of scary mistake seems to happen a lot in television/cable news.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A political analyst/journalist who said <strong>nonetheless </strong>(which Webster\'s defines as \"in spite of that\") when she really meant <strong>never mind </strong>(which means much less or let alone).</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Someone who said \"from the <strong>outset </strong>(which means beginning or start, and can be used alone, without a modifier, such as,<em> from the outset</em>) <strong>of...</strong>\" when he/she should have said the <strong>onset of </strong>(which also means beginning or commencement, and is usually used in conjunction a phrase, such as in the <em>onset of winter</em>).</p>\r\nIt\'s easy to mess these up. They are very similar in meaning, and similar sounding, but yet are different words with slightly different usages and meanings.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Second</span>, it\'s when you use words that are spelled similarly to what you meant to say, but are not the right word.</span> This happens mostly in written communications, and it mostly happens because you rely on spellcheck, and you don\'t proofread.\r\n\r\nHere are a couple I have seen recently:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A sentence that used <strong>neatly</strong> instead of <strong>nearly</strong>.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">And even more weird, a sentence that used the word <strong>bong</strong> instead of <strong>bond</strong>.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nDon\'t be ghoulish—use your words carefully, but go ahead, have a happy Halloween!\r\n\r\nI\'ve started collecting these, and I intend to publish them once a month. I invite you to share any you find by sending me an email at info@deborahbrody.com.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Be very scared (of poor word choice)','','inherit','open','open','','3587-revision-v1','','','2017-10-31 14:29:56','2017-10-31 18:29:56','',3587,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3587-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3592,4,'2017-10-31 14:30:40','2017-10-31 18:30:40','You know what is (a bit) scary? When you say or write something that you don\'t mean. You don\'t intend to do it, but you do it anyway.\r\n\r\nWhy would you  do something spooky like that?\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">First</span>, it\'s because you use words that you don\'t understand, or you misuse words.</span> This is more common in spoken than in written communications, since we don\'t have the luxury of having a dictionary available when we talk. This type of scary mistake seems to happen a lot in television/cable news.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A political analyst/journalist who said <strong>nonetheless </strong>(which Webster\'s defines as \"in spite of that\") when she really meant <strong>never mind </strong>(which means much less or let alone).</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Someone who said \"from the <strong>outset </strong>(which means beginning or start, and can be used alone, without a modifier, such as,<em> from the outset</em>) <strong>of...</strong>\" when he/she should have said the <strong>onset of </strong>(which also means beginning or commencement, and is usually used in conjunction a phrase, such as in the <em>onset of winter</em>).</p>\r\nIt\'s easy to mess these up. They are very similar in meaning, and similar sounding, but yet are different words with slightly different usages and meanings.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Second</span>, it\'s when you use words that are spelled similarly to what you meant to say, but are not the right word.</span> This happens mostly in written communications, and it mostly happens because you rely on spellcheck, and you don\'t proofread.\r\n\r\nHere are a couple I have seen recently:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A sentence that used <strong>neatly</strong> instead of <strong>nearly</strong>.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">And even more weird, a sentence that used the word <strong>bong</strong> instead of <strong>bond</strong>.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nDon\'t be ghoulish—use your words carefully—and go ahead, have a happy Halloween!\r\n\r\nI\'ve started collecting these, and I intend to publish them once a month. I invite you to share any you find by sending me an email at info@deborahbrody.com.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Be very scared (of poor word choice)','','inherit','open','open','','3587-revision-v1','','','2017-10-31 14:30:40','2017-10-31 18:30:40','',3587,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/10/3587-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3605,4,'2017-11-29 16:49:57','2017-11-29 21:49:57','This is a post about unintended and negative consequences, based on two separate experiences yesterday.\r\n\r\n<strong>Last minute deal—get in at no cost!</strong>\r\n\r\nLast night, I attended an event on trends in digital marketing. I signed up for it a couple of days ago, and paid $11.84. Yesterday, about two hours before the event was due to start, there was an email from the organizer to a listserv I am on saying that she didn\'t have enough attendees, so if anyone wanted to attend <em>for free</em>, they could.\r\n\r\nI felt like a sucker. Why had I bothered to pay anything at all for an event that wasn\'t garnering enough attention to the point that the organizer was begging people to come by offering free admission?\r\n\r\nAnd the real question is, why would I ever pay this organizer for any event when it may be more advantageous to wait until the last minute?\r\n\r\nThe unintended consequence of this poor decision is to effectively make people decide to not sign up in advance, to not pay at all, because there\'s a likelihood that if too few people sign up in advance, the organizer will be desperate enough for warm bodies and offer free admission to all.\r\n\r\n<strong>Ask and ask and ask again—until they don\'t want to be asked again</strong>\r\n\r\nUnless you were not online, or checking email, you know yesterday was Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday was developed (supposedly) as an \"antidote\" to Cyber Monday/Black Friday. In theory, Giving Tuesday is a chance to support charities instead of, or in addition to, shopping like mad for the holidays.\r\n\r\nA lot of hoopla has developed around this \"holiday.\" Case in point: Every organization that I have ever supported sent me emails the week before, the day before and the day of, to beg me to give them money on Giving Tuesday. Some organizations sent multiple emails on Tuesday in addition to multiple emails on the days before. My inbox was flooded with requests, and then so were my social media feeds.\r\n\r\nSome organizations were getting matching funds on Giving Tuesday, so giving on this day automatically meant more money in the coffers. But the level of pushiness these organizations reached around Giving Tuesday in order to get these extra funds may have had the unintended consequence of reducing the number of people opting in to enewsletters. I unsubscribed to at least two, and was seriously considering unsubscribing from all of them.\r\n\r\nThe intensity of the effort made it seem as if this was your one chance to give, as if you couldn\'t give any time of the year, and <em>as if giving at any other time was just not as good. </em>The other unintended consequence of this extreme focus on Giving Tuesday, I believe, is to reduce year-round giving.\r\n\r\nOrganizations make lots of decisions to fulfill short-term goals (get lots of donors on Tuesday), but which neglect to take into consideration long-term goals (develop good relationships and donor opportunities year-round). In other words, before you make a snap decision that only affects one event/day, think about what your overall goals are, and whether this decision furthers those goals or not.','Decisions with unintended consequences','','publish','open','open','','decisions-with-unintended-consequences','','','2017-11-29 16:49:57','2017-11-29 21:49:57','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3605',0,'post','',0),(3597,4,'2017-11-14 14:24:17','2017-11-14 19:24:17','As has happened every November for the six years I\'ve lived in my current home, I received this on my doorstep:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3598 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754-e1510671700977-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"20171113_100754\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>It is given by a local real estate agent who also sends a magnetic calendar in the mail and places quarterly sales updates on my doorknob. He includes a card with his contact information along with the jar of apple butter.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the problem: I don\'t really eat apple butter. I am not opposed to it, but it is not something I eat regularly. I have three unused jars from the past few years, and I don\'t really know what to do with them. It\'s a shame to throw them out, but it\'s not something I feel counts as food to be taken to the food pantry. In other words, it has become clutter and something that puts the burden on me. For me, this is not a welcome gift.\r\n\r\nI am not sure why this real estate agent keeps doing this. Perhaps he has found there is a return on investment, or he wants to be known as the apple butter guy. I am not sure, but in my opinion, his is an example of how not to do corporate gift giving.\r\n\r\n<strong>Gift giving can be a good marketing tactic, as long as there is some thought and strategy behind it.</strong>\r\n\r\nMany large companies regularly give customers a gift that costs them very little but is very effective in getting people to the door: a free visit,  a $25 coupon toward your purchase, discount cards, VIP seating, and so on. Others send Christmas gifts to ongoing customers Some take hold monthly birthday lunches for clients. These companies and organizations have budgeted a certain/set amount toward corporate gifts, and have instituted these as regular marketing effort.\r\n\r\nIn order to have a<em> successful</em> gift giving campaign. you should think about the following two things:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. What are you trying to accomplish?</strong>\r\n\r\nPerhaps you are thanking customers for their business during the year, or perhaps you want to entice new customers. Either way, if you don\'t know why you are giving, there is absolutely no point to doing it.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Who are you giving to?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is crucial information. If you are giving to a client you\'ve known for years versus giving to a potential customer, you will be spending different amounts of time and effort. For a long-term client, you probably will need to find a personalized gift, and for a potential customer, you want to encourage them to check  you out.\r\n\r\n<strong>But not just any gift will do.</strong>\r\n\r\nOnce you\'ve decided what you are trying to do and to whom you are giving, you can choose the gifts that make the most sense. Some attributes that you may want to consider are these:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Memorable</li>\r\n	<li>Useful</li>\r\n	<li>Linked to your brand identity</li>\r\n	<li>Stand out from the crowd</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Remember: what makes a a good gift is something the recipient appreciates or wants.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts on gifts as a marketing tactic? Have you received or given a particularly good or bad gift? Please let me know.','To gift or not to gift...a marketing question','','publish','open','open','','to-gift-or-not-to-gift-a-marketing-question','','','2017-11-14 14:24:17','2017-11-14 19:24:17','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3597',0,'post','',0),(3598,4,'2017-11-14 10:00:51','2017-11-14 15:00:51','','20171113_100754','','inherit','open','open','','20171113_100754','','','2017-11-14 10:00:51','2017-11-14 15:00:51','',3597,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3599,4,'2017-11-14 10:11:48','2017-11-14 15:11:48','As has happened every November for the six years I\'ve lived in my current home, I received this on my doorstep:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3598 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754-e1510671700977-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"20171113_100754\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>It is given by a local real estate agent who also sends a calendar and places quarterly sales updates on my doorknob. He includes a card with his contact information along with the jar of apple butter.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the problem: I don\'t really eat apple butter. I have three unused jars from the past few years, and I don\'t really know what to do with them.','To gift or not to gift...a marketing question','','inherit','open','open','','3597-revision-v1','','','2017-11-14 10:11:48','2017-11-14 15:11:48','',3597,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/11/3597-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3600,4,'2017-11-14 14:17:31','2017-11-14 19:17:31','As has happened every November for the six years I\'ve lived in my current home, I received this on my doorstep:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3598 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754-e1510671700977-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"20171113_100754\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>It is given by a local real estate agent who also sends a magnetic calendar in the mail and places quarterly sales updates on my doorknob. He includes a card with his contact information along with the jar of apple butter.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the problem: I don\'t really eat apple butter. I am not opposed to it, but it is not something I eat regularly. I have three unused jars from the past few years, and I don\'t really know what to do with them. It\'s a shame to throw them out, but it\'s not something I feel counts as food to be taken to the food pantry. In other words, it has become clutter and something that puts the burden on me. For me, this is not a welcome gift.\r\n\r\nI am not sure why this real estate agent keeps doing this. Perhaps he has found there is a return on investment, or he wants to be known as the apple butter guy. I am not sure, but in my opinion, his is an example of how not to do corporate gift giving.\r\n\r\n<strong>Gift giving is absolutely a good marketing tactic, as long as there is some thought and strategy behind it.</strong>\r\n\r\nMany large companies regularly give customers a gift that costs them very little but is very effective in getting people to the door: a free visit,  a $25 coupon toward your purchase, discount cards, VIP seating, and so on. Others send  Christmas gifts to ongoing customers Some take hold monthly birthday lunches for clients. These companies and organizations have budgeted a certain amount toward corporate gifts, and have instituted these as regular features of their marketing efforts.\r\n\r\nIn order to have a successful gift giving campaign you should think about the following two things.\r\n\r\n<strong>1. What are you trying to accomplish?</strong>\r\n\r\nPerhaps you are thanking customers for their business during the year, or perhaps you want to entice new customers. Either way, if you don\'t know why you are giving, there is absolutely no point to doing it.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Who are you giving to?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is crucial information. If you are giving to a client you\'ve known for years versus giving to a potential customer, you will be spending different amounts of time and effort. For a long-term client, you probably will need to find a personalized gift, and for a potential customer, you want to encourage them to check  you out.\r\n\r\nOnce you\'ve decided what you are trying to do and who you are giving, you can choose the gifts that make the most sense. Some attributes that you may want to consider are these:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Memorable</li>\r\n	<li>Useful</li>\r\n	<li>Linked to your brand identity</li>\r\n	<li>Stand out from the crowd</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Remember: what makes a a good gift is something the recipient appreciates or wants.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts on gifts as a marketing tactic? Have you received or given a particularly good or bad gift? Please let me know.','To gift or not to gift...a marketing question','','inherit','open','open','','3597-revision-v1','','','2017-11-14 14:17:31','2017-11-14 19:17:31','',3597,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/11/3597-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3601,4,'2017-11-14 14:24:17','2017-11-14 19:24:17','As has happened every November for the six years I\'ve lived in my current home, I received this on my doorstep:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3598 size-medium\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171113_100754-e1510671700977-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"20171113_100754\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>It is given by a local real estate agent who also sends a magnetic calendar in the mail and places quarterly sales updates on my doorknob. He includes a card with his contact information along with the jar of apple butter.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the problem: I don\'t really eat apple butter. I am not opposed to it, but it is not something I eat regularly. I have three unused jars from the past few years, and I don\'t really know what to do with them. It\'s a shame to throw them out, but it\'s not something I feel counts as food to be taken to the food pantry. In other words, it has become clutter and something that puts the burden on me. For me, this is not a welcome gift.\r\n\r\nI am not sure why this real estate agent keeps doing this. Perhaps he has found there is a return on investment, or he wants to be known as the apple butter guy. I am not sure, but in my opinion, his is an example of how not to do corporate gift giving.\r\n\r\n<strong>Gift giving can be a good marketing tactic, as long as there is some thought and strategy behind it.</strong>\r\n\r\nMany large companies regularly give customers a gift that costs them very little but is very effective in getting people to the door: a free visit,  a $25 coupon toward your purchase, discount cards, VIP seating, and so on. Others send Christmas gifts to ongoing customers Some take hold monthly birthday lunches for clients. These companies and organizations have budgeted a certain/set amount toward corporate gifts, and have instituted these as regular marketing effort.\r\n\r\nIn order to have a<em> successful</em> gift giving campaign. you should think about the following two things:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. What are you trying to accomplish?</strong>\r\n\r\nPerhaps you are thanking customers for their business during the year, or perhaps you want to entice new customers. Either way, if you don\'t know why you are giving, there is absolutely no point to doing it.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Who are you giving to?</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is crucial information. If you are giving to a client you\'ve known for years versus giving to a potential customer, you will be spending different amounts of time and effort. For a long-term client, you probably will need to find a personalized gift, and for a potential customer, you want to encourage them to check  you out.\r\n\r\n<strong>But not just any gift will do.</strong>\r\n\r\nOnce you\'ve decided what you are trying to do and to whom you are giving, you can choose the gifts that make the most sense. Some attributes that you may want to consider are these:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Memorable</li>\r\n	<li>Useful</li>\r\n	<li>Linked to your brand identity</li>\r\n	<li>Stand out from the crowd</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Remember: what makes a a good gift is something the recipient appreciates or wants.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts on gifts as a marketing tactic? Have you received or given a particularly good or bad gift? Please let me know.','To gift or not to gift...a marketing question','','inherit','open','open','','3597-revision-v1','','','2017-11-14 14:24:17','2017-11-14 19:24:17','',3597,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/11/3597-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3602,4,'2017-11-16 10:11:34','2017-11-16 15:11:34','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/4dd82b\">November 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2017\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/391dca\" target=\"_blank\">September 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/45625a\" target=\"_blank\">June 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/75c3f9\" target=\"_blank\">April 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/792b39\" target=\"_blank\">December 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a051e8\" target=\"_blank\">October 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"August 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/359a88\" target=\"_blank\">August 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d841f7\" target=\"_blank\">June 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a50a67\" target=\"_blank\">March 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d7ed27\" target=\"_blank\">January 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/987fe6\" target=\"_blank\">November 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2017-11-16 10:11:34','2017-11-16 15:11:34','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/11/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3606,4,'2017-11-29 11:29:20','2017-11-29 16:29:20','This is a post about unintended and negative consequences, based on two separate experiences yesterday.\r\n\r\n<strong>Last minute deal—get in at no cost!</strong>\r\n\r\nLast night, I attended an event on trends in digital marketing. I signed up for it a couple of days ago, and paid $11.84. Yesterday, about two hours before the event was due to start, there was an email from the organizer to a listserv I am on saying that she didn\'t have enough attendees, so if anyone wanted to attend <em>for free</em>, they could.\r\n\r\nI felt like a sucker. Why had I bothered to pay anything at all for an event that wasn\'t garnering enough attention to the point that the organizer was begging people to come by offering free admission?\r\n\r\nAnd the real question is, why would I ever pay this organizer for any event when it may be more advantageous to wait until the last minute?\r\n\r\nThe unintended consequence of this poor decision is to effectively make people decide to not sign up in advance, to not pay at all, because there\'s a likelihood that if too few people sign up in advance, the organizer will be desperate enough for warm bodies and offer free admission to all.\r\n\r\n<strong>Ask and ask and ask again--until they don\'t want to be asked again</strong>\r\n\r\nUnless you were not online, or checking email, you know yesterday was Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday was developed (supposedly) as an \"antidote\" to Cyber Monday/Black Friday. In theory, Giving Tuesday is a chance to support charities instead of, or in addition to, shopping like mad for the holidays.\r\n\r\nA lot of hoopla has developed around this \"holiday.\" Case in point: Every organization that I have ever supported sent me emails the week before, the day before and the day of, to beg me to give them money on Giving Tuesday. Some organizations sent multiple emails on Tuesday in addition to multiple emails on the days before. Many organizations also used social media to encourage more giving.','Decisions with unintended consequences','','inherit','open','open','','3605-revision-v1','','','2017-11-29 11:29:20','2017-11-29 16:29:20','',3605,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/11/3605-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3607,4,'2017-11-29 16:49:57','2017-11-29 21:49:57','This is a post about unintended and negative consequences, based on two separate experiences yesterday.\r\n\r\n<strong>Last minute deal—get in at no cost!</strong>\r\n\r\nLast night, I attended an event on trends in digital marketing. I signed up for it a couple of days ago, and paid $11.84. Yesterday, about two hours before the event was due to start, there was an email from the organizer to a listserv I am on saying that she didn\'t have enough attendees, so if anyone wanted to attend <em>for free</em>, they could.\r\n\r\nI felt like a sucker. Why had I bothered to pay anything at all for an event that wasn\'t garnering enough attention to the point that the organizer was begging people to come by offering free admission?\r\n\r\nAnd the real question is, why would I ever pay this organizer for any event when it may be more advantageous to wait until the last minute?\r\n\r\nThe unintended consequence of this poor decision is to effectively make people decide to not sign up in advance, to not pay at all, because there\'s a likelihood that if too few people sign up in advance, the organizer will be desperate enough for warm bodies and offer free admission to all.\r\n\r\n<strong>Ask and ask and ask again—until they don\'t want to be asked again</strong>\r\n\r\nUnless you were not online, or checking email, you know yesterday was Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday was developed (supposedly) as an \"antidote\" to Cyber Monday/Black Friday. In theory, Giving Tuesday is a chance to support charities instead of, or in addition to, shopping like mad for the holidays.\r\n\r\nA lot of hoopla has developed around this \"holiday.\" Case in point: Every organization that I have ever supported sent me emails the week before, the day before and the day of, to beg me to give them money on Giving Tuesday. Some organizations sent multiple emails on Tuesday in addition to multiple emails on the days before. My inbox was flooded with requests, and then so were my social media feeds.\r\n\r\nSome organizations were getting matching funds on Giving Tuesday, so giving on this day automatically meant more money in the coffers. But the level of pushiness these organizations reached around Giving Tuesday in order to get these extra funds may have had the unintended consequence of reducing the number of people opting in to enewsletters. I unsubscribed to at least two, and was seriously considering unsubscribing from all of them.\r\n\r\nThe intensity of the effort made it seem as if this was your one chance to give, as if you couldn\'t give any time of the year, and <em>as if giving at any other time was just not as good. </em>The other unintended consequence of this extreme focus on Giving Tuesday, I believe, is to reduce year-round giving.\r\n\r\nOrganizations make lots of decisions to fulfill short-term goals (get lots of donors on Tuesday), but which neglect to take into consideration long-term goals (develop good relationships and donor opportunities year-round). In other words, before you make a snap decision that only affects one event/day, think about what your overall goals are, and whether this decision furthers those goals or not.','Decisions with unintended consequences','','inherit','open','open','','3605-revision-v1','','','2017-11-29 16:49:57','2017-11-29 21:49:57','',3605,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/11/3605-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3609,4,'2017-12-06 13:28:40','2017-12-06 18:28:40','Personnel announcements used to be one of the most reliable and easy forms of publicity for  a company. In the years I worked at PR firms, we always sent out these type of announcements, usually including a headshot.  Eventually, most of them would end up in the business section of the local newspaper, or within specialty newspapers or magazines.\r\n\r\nGetting personnel announcements in print was a good way to keep companies in the public eye, and also served as a morale boost to the new or promoted employee. Even 20 plus years later, I still have the clipping from <em>Adweek</em> showing my appointment to Boston ad firm Houston Effler (now defunct).\r\n\r\nApparently, those days of easy publicity are coming to an end. A few weeks ago I noticed that the <em>Washington Business Journal</em> changed its personnel announcement page (called \"People on the Move\") to show the words \"paid advertising\" at the top. Effectively, the <em>Business Journal</em> had started charging companies in order to publish these announcements. <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3610\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20171010_142654\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAs someone who has worked in communications for more than 20 years, I am not surprised that this is happening in 2017, but I am disheartened, and pessimistic about the future of media relations.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not surprising simply because print publications are struggling with declining subscriptions and reduced advertising, and they are looking for additional revenue. Charging for personnel announcements seems harmless, and if companies want to highlight their new hires, perhaps they won\'t hesitate to spend a few hundred dollars  (the Business Journal is charging $350 for an \"enhanced\" profile that will appear online and in print).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3611\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20171205_141928\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt\'s disheartening because it has further blurred the line between advertising and editorial content, and opens the possibility up that companies will be willing to \"pay to play.\" If there is money to be made from charging for what was previously known as earned media, then there is no incentive for publications to cover any press release or announcement unless it is major (e.g., new iPhone).\r\n\r\nThe pressures on print journalism  have been covered before. We know that people are not buying or subscribing as much to print, and we know that publications are asking fewer reporters to produce more content, more often, and with fewer resources. Most publications have a digital presence, and many struggle with instituting a pay wall for readers to access their content.\r\n\r\nIt may seem trivial for a publication to charge for personnel announcements, but it points to a much larger problem and also to serious consequences for editorial integrity. It\'s not only happening in print. Broadcast also seems to require more revenue than what it is getting from traditional advertising. More people are getting news from websites and social media sites, and fewer are watching the evening news. Over the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a trend in which national restaurants are getting local news to cover food and drink specials, not only on air, but on social media channels.\r\n\r\nFor a specific example, just last Friday, I noticed that WJLA (the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., owned by Sinclair Broadcasting) re-tweeted one of its local reporters, Kevin Lewis, discussing a special on a drink offered at Applebees, the national restaurant chain. Lewis included a link to the \"news\" about this special on the WJLA website, which then linked to a press release directly on Applebees website. At no point did the words \"sponsored\" or \"paid advertising\" show on the tweets or on the press release. If the WJLA news team thinks that sharing drink specials from a restaurant is actual news, they are not familiar with real journalism.\r\n\r\nIn this era where journalism is being called \"fake news\" whenever it digs up inconvenient information for a politician, it is not a good look to get money to run publicity, without even acknowledging that it is paid.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Publications\' need for revenue threatens public relations efforts','','publish','open','open','','publications-need-for-revenue-and-pr','','','2017-12-08 08:41:51','2017-12-08 13:41:51','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3609',0,'post','',1),(3610,4,'2017-12-06 13:02:42','2017-12-06 18:02:42','','20171010_142654','','inherit','open','open','','20171010_142654','','','2017-12-06 13:02:42','2017-12-06 18:02:42','',3609,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3611,4,'2017-12-06 13:03:31','2017-12-06 18:03:31','','20171205_141928','','inherit','open','open','','20171205_141928','','','2017-12-06 13:03:31','2017-12-06 18:03:31','',3609,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3612,4,'2017-12-06 13:26:50','2017-12-06 18:26:50','Personnel announcements used to be one of the most reliably and easy forms of publicity for  a company. In the years I worked at PR firms, we always sent out these type of announcements, usually including a headshot.  Eventually, most of them would end up in the business section of the local newspaper, or within specialty newspapers or magazines.\r\n\r\nGetting personnel announcements in print was a good way to keep companies in the public eye, and also served as a morale boost to the new or promoted employee. Even 20 plus years later, I still have the clipping from <em>Adweek</em> showing my appointment to Boston ad firm Houston Effler (now defunct).\r\n\r\nApparently, those days of easy publicity are coming to an end. A few weeks ago I noticed that the <em>Washington Business Journal</em> changed its personnel announcement page (called \"People on the Move\") to show the words \"paid advertising\" at the top. Effectively, the <em>Business Journal</em> had started charging companies in order to publish these announcements. <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3610\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20171010_142654\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAs someone who has worked in communications for more than 20 years, I am not surprised that this is happening in 2017, but I am disheartened, and pessimistic about the future of media relations.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not surprising simply because print publications are struggling with declining subscriptions and reduced advertising, and they are looking for additional revenue. Charging for personnel announcements seems harmless, and if companies want to highlight their new hires, perhaps they won\'t hesitate to spend a few hundred dollars  (the Business Journal is charging $350 for an \"enhanced\" profile that will appear online and in print).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3611\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20171205_141928\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt\'s disheartening because it has further blurred the line between advertising and editorial content, and opens the possibility up that companies will be willing to \"pay to play.\" If there is money to be made from charging for what was previously known as earned media, then there is no incentive for publications to cover any press release or announcement unless it is major (e.g., new iPhone).\r\n\r\nThe pressures on print journalism  have been covered before. We know that people are not buying or subscribing as much to print, and we know that publications are asking fewer reporters to produce more content, more often, and with fewer resources. Most publications have a digital presence, and many struggle with instituting a pay wall for readers to access their content.\r\n\r\nIt may seem trivial for a publication to charge for personnel announcements, but it points to a much larger problem and also to serious consequences for editorial integrity. It\'s not only happening in print. Broadcast also seems to require more revenue than what it is getting from traditional advertising. More people are getting news from websites and social media sites, and fewer are watching the evening news. Over the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a trend in which national restaurants are getting local news to cover food and drink specials, not only on air, but on social media channels.\r\n\r\nFor a specific example, just last Friday, I noticed that WJLA (the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., owned by Sinclair Broadcasting) re-tweeted one of its local reporters, Kevin Lewis, discussing a special on a drink offered at Applebees, the national restaurant chain. Lewis included a link to the \"news\" about this special on the WJLA website, which then linked to a press release directly on Applebees website. At no point did the words \"sponsored\" or \"paid advertising\" show on the tweets or on the press release. If the WJLA news team thinks that sharing drink specials from a restaurant is actual news, they are not familiar with real journalism.\r\n\r\nIn this era where journalism is being called \"fake news\" whenever it digs up inconvenient information for a politician, it is not a good look to get money to run publicity, without even acknowledging that it is paid.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Publications\' need for revenue threatens public relations efforts','','inherit','open','open','','3609-revision-v1','','','2017-12-06 13:26:50','2017-12-06 18:26:50','',3609,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/3609-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3613,4,'2017-12-08 08:41:51','2017-12-08 13:41:51','Personnel announcements used to be one of the most reliable and easy forms of publicity for  a company. In the years I worked at PR firms, we always sent out these type of announcements, usually including a headshot.  Eventually, most of them would end up in the business section of the local newspaper, or within specialty newspapers or magazines.\r\n\r\nGetting personnel announcements in print was a good way to keep companies in the public eye, and also served as a morale boost to the new or promoted employee. Even 20 plus years later, I still have the clipping from <em>Adweek</em> showing my appointment to Boston ad firm Houston Effler (now defunct).\r\n\r\nApparently, those days of easy publicity are coming to an end. A few weeks ago I noticed that the <em>Washington Business Journal</em> changed its personnel announcement page (called \"People on the Move\") to show the words \"paid advertising\" at the top. Effectively, the <em>Business Journal</em> had started charging companies in order to publish these announcements. <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3610\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171010_142654-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20171010_142654\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAs someone who has worked in communications for more than 20 years, I am not surprised that this is happening in 2017, but I am disheartened, and pessimistic about the future of media relations.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not surprising simply because print publications are struggling with declining subscriptions and reduced advertising, and they are looking for additional revenue. Charging for personnel announcements seems harmless, and if companies want to highlight their new hires, perhaps they won\'t hesitate to spend a few hundred dollars  (the Business Journal is charging $350 for an \"enhanced\" profile that will appear online and in print).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3611\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171205_141928-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20171205_141928\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIt\'s disheartening because it has further blurred the line between advertising and editorial content, and opens the possibility up that companies will be willing to \"pay to play.\" If there is money to be made from charging for what was previously known as earned media, then there is no incentive for publications to cover any press release or announcement unless it is major (e.g., new iPhone).\r\n\r\nThe pressures on print journalism  have been covered before. We know that people are not buying or subscribing as much to print, and we know that publications are asking fewer reporters to produce more content, more often, and with fewer resources. Most publications have a digital presence, and many struggle with instituting a pay wall for readers to access their content.\r\n\r\nIt may seem trivial for a publication to charge for personnel announcements, but it points to a much larger problem and also to serious consequences for editorial integrity. It\'s not only happening in print. Broadcast also seems to require more revenue than what it is getting from traditional advertising. More people are getting news from websites and social media sites, and fewer are watching the evening news. Over the past several weeks, I\'ve noticed a trend in which national restaurants are getting local news to cover food and drink specials, not only on air, but on social media channels.\r\n\r\nFor a specific example, just last Friday, I noticed that WJLA (the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., owned by Sinclair Broadcasting) re-tweeted one of its local reporters, Kevin Lewis, discussing a special on a drink offered at Applebees, the national restaurant chain. Lewis included a link to the \"news\" about this special on the WJLA website, which then linked to a press release directly on Applebees website. At no point did the words \"sponsored\" or \"paid advertising\" show on the tweets or on the press release. If the WJLA news team thinks that sharing drink specials from a restaurant is actual news, they are not familiar with real journalism.\r\n\r\nIn this era where journalism is being called \"fake news\" whenever it digs up inconvenient information for a politician, it is not a good look to get money to run publicity, without even acknowledging that it is paid.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Publications\' need for revenue threatens public relations efforts','','inherit','open','open','','3609-revision-v1','','','2017-12-08 08:41:51','2017-12-08 13:41:51','',3609,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/3609-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3614,4,'2017-12-12 10:54:06','2017-12-12 15:54:06','Last night, at a happy hour for the Washington, D.C. chapter of the ASBPE, I got a chance to meet the managing editor of the <em>Washington Business Journal</em>, Vandana Sinha. I asked her about the change I discussed <a title=\"Publications’ need for revenue threatens public relations efforts\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/publications-need-for-revenue-and-pr/\">here last week</a>, where the <em>Business Journal</em> is now charging for personnel announcements in their  \"People on the Move\" section.\r\n\r\nSinha told me that companies are actually very happy about the change, because they can now be assured that their announcements will be printed. Companies feel they\'ve gained control over the process.\r\n\r\n<strong>Paid vs. earned</strong>\r\n\r\nThat reaction points to the advantage of advertising over public relations, and it\'s the difference between paid and earned media. If you pay for ad space, you get it. You can place whatever ad or information you choose (within certain limits).\r\n\r\nWhen you rely on media relations efforts to obtain coverage for your organization, you are not assured of success. It will depend on whether what you are trying to get out there is deemed \"newsworthy\" by the editors/journalists at the media outlet you are targeting. If you get coverage, you\'ve \"earned\" it.\r\n\r\nIf we are at a point, due to limited resources and dwindling subscriptions, where reporters and editors are stretched to the point that they no longer can entertain pitches and read press releases, what is the future of media relations? Furthermore, if media outlets are searching for more ways to bring in revenue,  by seeking various sponsorships and now charging for announcements (and in effect making something that was previously earned into paid), where does that leave a media relations practitioner?\r\n\r\nClearly, if you pay for your media (advertising), you are guaranteed not only coverage, but coverage that you like. What is the incentive for organizations to hire anybody to do media relations?\r\n\r\n<strong>Media relations is a tactic</strong>\r\n\r\nFor many years, public relations practice seems to have been more focused on media relations than on strategy and image management. It was easier to do publicity than it was to counsel clients on other ways to improve their public standing.\r\n\r\nIn my opinion, the practice of media relations has to evolve (or even disappear), if it hasn\'t already. No longer can agencies simply churn out press releases, pitch editors, and earn media for their clients. That is become increasingly unproductive and difficult to achieve. Additionally, the way people consume news has changed dramatically. There are few true mass media outlets left, and many more targeted, specialty channels.\r\n\r\n<strong>The media landscape has changed</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause of the new media landscape, public relations, where the practice is about managing perceptions of an organization, has to re-focus its efforts away from media relations.  It\'s important to recognize that media relations is just <em>a tactic</em> to help PR achieve its objectives.\r\n\r\nMany PR agencies are already turning away from media relations. Today\'s PR agencies are doing much more social media, marketing, crisis communications and other practices in order to help organization manage their public presence.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bring back integrated marketing communications!</strong>\r\n\r\nPR is not advertising, but both are essential components of any communications plan. Perhaps the future will bring us <strong>communications agencies</strong>, where PR and advertising are integrated. Yes, I know this is not a new concept, but it\'s one that needs to revisited now that times have changed.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts on media relations practices? Is it something that is still worthwhile? Should PR evolve? Please share your comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','If advertising is better, why bother with PR?','','publish','open','open','','if-advertising-is-better-why-bother-with-pr','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/publications-need-for-revenue-and-pr/','2017-12-12 10:54:06','2017-12-12 15:54:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3614',0,'post','',0),(3615,4,'2017-12-12 10:53:42','2017-12-12 15:53:42','Last night, at a happy hour for the Washington, D.C. chapter of the ASBPE, I got a chance to meet the managing editor of the <em>Washington Business Journal</em>, Vandana Sinha. I asked her about the change I discussed <a title=\"Publications’ need for revenue threatens public relations efforts\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/publications-need-for-revenue-and-pr/\">here last week</a>, where the <em>Business Journal</em> is now charging for personnel announcements in their  \"People on the Move\" section.\r\n\r\nSinha told me that companies are actually very happy about the change, because they can now be assured that their announcements will be printed. Companies feel they\'ve gained control over the process.\r\n\r\n<strong>Paid vs. earned</strong>\r\n\r\nThat reaction points to the advantage of advertising over public relations, and it\'s the difference between paid and earned media. If you pay for ad space, you get it. You can place whatever ad or information you choose (within certain limits).\r\n\r\nWhen you rely on media relations efforts to obtain coverage for your organization, you are not assured of success. It will depend on whether what you are trying to get out there is deemed \"newsworthy\" by the editors/journalists at the media outlet you are targeting. If you get coverage, you\'ve \"earned\" it.\r\n\r\nIf we are at a point, due to limited resources and dwindling subscriptions, where reporters and editors are stretched to the point that they no longer can entertain pitches and read press releases, what is the future of media relations? Furthermore, if media outlets are searching for more ways to bring in revenue,  by seeking various sponsorships and now charging for announcements (and in effect making something that was previously earned into paid), where does that leave a media relations practitioner?\r\n\r\nClearly, if you pay for your media (advertising), you are guaranteed not only coverage, but coverage that you like. What is the incentive for organizations to hire anybody to do media relations?\r\n\r\n<strong>Media relations is a tactic</strong>\r\n\r\nFor many years, public relations practice seems to have been more focused on media relations than on strategy and image management. It was easier to do publicity than it was to counsel clients on other ways to improve their public standing.\r\n\r\nIn my opinion, the practice of media relations has to evolve (or even disappear), if it hasn\'t already. No longer can agencies simply churn out press releases, pitch editors, and earn media for their clients. That is become increasingly unproductive and difficult to achieve. Additionally, the way people consume news has changed dramatically. There are few true mass media outlets left, and many more targeted, specialty channels.\r\n\r\n<strong>The media landscape has changed</strong>\r\n\r\nBecause of the new media landscape, public relations, where the practice is about managing perceptions of an organization, has to re-focus its efforts away from media relations.  It\'s important to recognize that media relations is just <em>a tactic</em> to help PR achieve its objectives.\r\n\r\nMany PR agencies are already turning away from media relations. Today\'s PR agencies are doing much more social media, marketing, crisis communications and other practices in order to help organization manage their public presence.\r\n\r\n<strong>Bring back integrated marketing communications!</strong>\r\n\r\nPR is not advertising, but both are essential components of any communications plan. Perhaps the future will bring us <strong>communications agencies</strong>, where PR and advertising are integrated. Yes, I know this is not a new concept, but it\'s one that needs to revisited now that times have changed.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts on media relations practices? Is it something that is still worthwhile? Should PR evolve? Please share your comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','If advertising is better, why bother with PR?','','inherit','open','open','','3614-revision-v1','','','2017-12-12 10:53:42','2017-12-12 15:53:42','',3614,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/3614-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3617,4,'2017-12-19 09:41:55','2017-12-19 14:41:55','I got this postcard last week from a real estate agent who is selling a townhouse near me:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3619 size-large\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed-1024x639.jpg\" alt=\"img046ed\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" /></a> Seems this lovely townhouse costs more than $51 million.\r\n\r\nYes, it is an error, but that\'s what happens when you don\'t bother to proofread your work. Numbers are especially tricky, and in this case, comma placement (and lack of periods) makes a several <em>million</em> dollar mistake.\r\n\r\nWould you trust a real estate agent who doesn\'t bother to check details on a listing before she prints hundreds of postcards and mails them out? Would you want someone like this reviewing your contract for a home? Putting in an offer in your name?\r\n\r\nDon\'t lose millions and your credibility. Take a few minutes to proofread your work. And if you can\'t, hire someone who can.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Happy holidays to our Caffeinated Ideas readers! We\'ll be back with more great content in 2018. </span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What\'s a comma worth?','','publish','open','open','','whats-a-comma-worth','','','2017-12-19 09:41:55','2017-12-19 14:41:55','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3617',0,'post','',0),(3619,4,'2017-12-19 09:31:45','2017-12-19 14:31:45','','img046ed','','inherit','open','open','','img046ed','','','2017-12-19 09:31:45','2017-12-19 14:31:45','',3617,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3620,4,'2017-12-19 09:39:12','2017-12-19 14:39:12','I got this postcard last week from a real estate agent who is selling a townhouse near me:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3619 size-large\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed-1024x639.jpg\" alt=\"img046ed\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" /></a> Seems this lovely townhouse costs more than $51 million.\r\n\r\nYes, it is an error, but that\'s what happens when you don\'t bother to proofread your work. Numbers are especially tricky, and in this case, comma placement (and lack of periods) makes a several million dollar mistake.\r\n\r\nWould you trust a real estate agent who doesn\'t bother to check details on a listing before she prints 100s of postcards and mails them out? Would you want someone like this reviewing your contract for a home? Putting an offer in your name?\r\n\r\nDon\'t lose millions and your credibility. Take a few minutes to proofread your work. And if you can\'t, hire someone who can.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Happy holidays to our Caffeinated Ideas readers! We\'ll be back with more great content in 2018. </span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What\'s a comma worth?','','inherit','open','open','','3617-revision-v1','','','2017-12-19 09:39:12','2017-12-19 14:39:12','',3617,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/3617-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3621,4,'2017-12-19 09:41:55','2017-12-19 14:41:55','I got this postcard last week from a real estate agent who is selling a townhouse near me:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3619 size-large\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img046ed-1024x639.jpg\" alt=\"img046ed\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" /></a> Seems this lovely townhouse costs more than $51 million.\r\n\r\nYes, it is an error, but that\'s what happens when you don\'t bother to proofread your work. Numbers are especially tricky, and in this case, comma placement (and lack of periods) makes a several <em>million</em> dollar mistake.\r\n\r\nWould you trust a real estate agent who doesn\'t bother to check details on a listing before she prints hundreds of postcards and mails them out? Would you want someone like this reviewing your contract for a home? Putting in an offer in your name?\r\n\r\nDon\'t lose millions and your credibility. Take a few minutes to proofread your work. And if you can\'t, hire someone who can.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Happy holidays to our Caffeinated Ideas readers! We\'ll be back with more great content in 2018. </span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What\'s a comma worth?','','inherit','open','open','','3617-revision-v1','','','2017-12-19 09:41:55','2017-12-19 14:41:55','',3617,'http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/3617-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3624,4,'2018-01-04 14:09:56','2018-01-04 19:09:56','We are only four days into the new year, and there is plenty of time ahead to re-calibrate or re-focus your marketing efforts to achieve maximum success in 2018. You can also use this time and planning to create a completely new marketing strategy. To help you make the most of this opportunity, I am offering you four steps to get you on the right track.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 1: REVIEW</strong>\r\n\r\nLook back at your marketing efforts in 2017. What did you do? Social media marketing? Content marketing?  List all your marketing activities, such as newsletters, blog posts, video, social media promotions, advertising, etc. Be sure to include specifics, such as what vendors and technology you used (e.g., Constant Contact or MailChimp, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, etc.) You may also want to incorporate how much these activities cost you, for example, how much you spent on subscription-based services, video production, content production, and so forth.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 2: BENCHMARK</strong>\r\n\r\nHow do you know how far you\'ve come if you don\'t know where you started? Benchmarking at specific intervals or times of the year is a great way to measure your progress (or lack thereof).  To do this, create a simple table in Excel or in Word. The first column will list the indicators you want to track.  Input the numbers for the indicators you are tracking under a second column headed with the date you collected the information. Add another column for the next date you will revisit these numbers. You could do this on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis, depending on your business plan.\r\n\r\nTo figure out what to benchmark, think about the different components of your marketing plan you reviewed in the first step: content marketing, digital/social media marketing, print, etc. What are some key performance indicators (KPIs) within those components?\r\n\r\nSome possible indicators are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Revenue</li>\r\n	<li>Social media likes/followers (broken down by channel)</li>\r\n	<li>Newsletter subscribers/open rates</li>\r\n	<li>Website conversion rate</li>\r\n	<li>Number of visitors to the website</li>\r\n	<li>Number of customers/clients served</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Step 3:  ANALYZE AND ASSESS</strong>\r\n\r\nLooking back at your efforts in 2017, where did you spend the most time and effort? What worked the best? What worked the least? Where was the biggest return on investment (ROI)? What vendors were worth it? Did you have trouble using certain technology? Is there a better way to do what you have been doing?  In terms of social media/digital strategy, what tactics earned the most attention/engagement?\r\n\r\nYour aim here is to recognize patterns, successes, and failures.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 4: CREATE YOUR 2018 ROADMAP\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nNow that you know what you did and whether it worked or not, you can decide what to continue and what to eliminate. Perhaps you want to add more budget/time to your email marketing. Perhaps you want to scale back your efforts on social media channels.  Looking at your benchmarks, what numbers do you want to change? How will you get there? Perhaps you want to increase your website conversion rate. What activities will achieve the results you want?  Are there areas you want to explore? Perhaps you\'ve heard that voice search will be big in 2018 (it will). What do you need to do to make your SEO responsive to these new challenges?\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\'d love to hear what you are planning for 2018 and where you will be spending your marketing dollars. Please share in the comments or email me. I may include your responses in a future blog post.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Happy New Year and good luck with your 2018 planning!</strong></span>','4-step plan to achieve marketing success in 2018','','publish','open','open','','4-step-plan-to-achieve-marketing-success-in-2018','','','2018-01-04 14:09:56','2018-01-04 19:09:56','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3624',0,'post','',0),(3625,4,'2018-01-04 11:35:40','2018-01-04 16:35:40','We are only four days into the new year, and now is a good time to re-calibrate or re-focus your marketing efforts to achieve maximum success in 2018. To make the most of this opportunity, I am offering you four steps to get you on the right track.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 1: BENCHMARK</strong>\r\n\r\nHow do you know how far you\'ve come if you don\'t know where you started? Benchmarking at specific intervals or times of the year is a great way to measure your progress (or lack thereof).  To do this, create a simple table in Excel or in Word. One column should be the indicators you want to track. Some possible indicators are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Revenue</li>\r\n	<li>Social media likes/followers (broken down by channel)</li>\r\n	<li>Newsletter subscribers/open rates</li>\r\n	<li>Website bounce rate</li>\r\n	<li>Website conversion rate</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nInput the numbers for the indicators you are tracking under a column with today\'s date. Add another column for the next date you will revisit these numbers. You could do this on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis, depending on your business plan.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 2: REVIEW</strong>\r\n\r\nLook back at your marketing efforts in 2017. What did you do? List all your marketing activities, such as newsletters, blog posts, social media promotions, etc. Be sure to include specifics, such as what vendors and technology you used (e.g., Constant Contact or MailChimp, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, etc.) You may also want to incorporate how much these activities cost you, especially with subscription based services.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 3:  ANALYZE AND ASSESS</strong>\r\n\r\nLooking back at your efforts in 2017, what worked the best? What worked the least? Where was the biggest return on investment (ROI)? What vendors were worth it?\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 4: SET 2018 GOALS</strong>\r\n\r\nNow that you know what you did and whether it worked or not, you can decide what to continue and what to eliminate. Perhaps you want to add more budget/time to your email marketing. Perhaps you want to scale back your efforts on social media channels.  List  your g','4-step plan to achieve marketing success in 2018','','inherit','open','open','','3624-revision-v1','','','2018-01-04 11:35:40','2018-01-04 16:35:40','',3624,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/01/3624-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3626,4,'2018-01-04 14:06:48','2018-01-04 19:06:48','We are only four days into the new year, and there is plenty of time ahead to re-calibrate or re-focus your marketing efforts to achieve maximum success in 2018. You can also use this time and planning to create a completely new marketing strategy. To help you make the most of this opportunity, I am offering you four steps to get you on the right track.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 1: REVIEW</strong>\r\n\r\nLook back at your marketing efforts in 2017. What did you do? Social media marketing? Content marketing?  List all your marketing activities, such as newsletters, blog posts, video, social media promotions, advertising, etc. Be sure to include specifics, such as what vendors and technology you used (e.g., Constant Contact or MailChimp, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, etc.) You may also want to incorporate how much these activities cost you, for example, how much you spent on subscription-based services, video production, content production, and so forth.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 2: BENCHMARK</strong>\r\n\r\nHow do you know how far you\'ve come if you don\'t know where you started? Benchmarking at specific intervals or times of the year is a great way to measure your progress (or lack thereof).  To do this, create a simple table in Excel or in Word. The first column will list the indicators you want to track.  Input the numbers for the indicators you are tracking under a second column headed with the date you collected the information. Add another column for the next date you will revisit these numbers. You could do this on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis, depending on your business plan.\r\n\r\nTo figure out what to benchmark, think about the different components of your marketing plan you reviewed in the first step: content marketing, digital/social media marketing, print, etc. What are some key performance indicators (KPIs) within those components?\r\n\r\nSome possible indicators are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Revenue</li>\r\n	<li>Social media likes/followers (broken down by channel)</li>\r\n	<li>Newsletter subscribers/open rates</li>\r\n	<li>Website conversion rate</li>\r\n	<li>Number of visitors to the website</li>\r\n	<li>Number of customers/clients served</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Step 3:  ANALYZE AND ASSESS</strong>\r\n\r\nLooking back at your efforts in 2017, where did you spend the most time and effort? What worked the best? What worked the least? Where was the biggest return on investment (ROI)? What vendors were worth it? Did you have trouble using certain technology? Is there a better way to do what you have been doing?  In terms of social media/digital strategy, what tactics earned the most attention/engagement?\r\n\r\nYour aim here is to recognize patterns, successes, and failures.\r\n\r\n<strong>Step 4: CREATE YOUR 2018 ROADMAP\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nNow that you know what you did and whether it worked or not, you can decide what to continue and what to eliminate. Perhaps you want to add more budget/time to your email marketing. Perhaps you want to scale back your efforts on social media channels.  Looking at your benchmarks, what numbers do you want to change? How will you get there? Perhaps you want to increase your website conversion rate. What activities will achieve the results you want?  Are there areas you want to explore? Perhaps you\'ve heard that voice search will be big in 2018 (it will). What do you need to do to make your SEO responsive to these new challenges?\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\'d love to hear what you are planning for 2018 and where you will be spending your marketing dollars. Please share in the comments or email me. I may include your responses in a future blog post.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Happy New Year and good luck with your 2018 planning!</strong></span>','4-step plan to achieve marketing success in 2018','','inherit','open','open','','3624-revision-v1','','','2018-01-04 14:06:48','2018-01-04 19:06:48','',3624,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/01/3624-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3628,4,'2018-01-11 14:23:47','2018-01-11 19:23:47','Today, I got an email about a six-week communications leadership seminar. It sounds interesting, except it takes place in Chicago and I live near Washington, D.C. The target audience for this seminar is business professionals who live in the greater Chicago are yet this email was probably sent to the whole list.\r\n\r\nEmail marketing is great because it is relatively inexpensive, and because it is highly customizable. Say you are a retailer with stores across the country. You could send emails to your customers in specific locations announcing the opening of a new store or a change in hours, or perhaps a change in location.\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, with email marketing you can send targeted email messages that are relevant to their recipients at a relatively low cost.</strong>\r\n\r\nYet the email I received about the Chicago seminar is not relevant. It is just clutter in my inbox. Why did I get this email? I\'d venture to say it is because the list owner did not either a) segment the list, or b) gather enough information from the recipients to allow for segmentation, or c) both.\r\n\r\nMost email marketing programs allow for list segmentation. If you are marketing to a diverse audience, you will have to gather some relevant information to be able to segment your list or to be able to personalize it. If you don\'t gather information that will allow segmentation and/or you have an email provider that doesn\'t allow for segmentation, you need to make some changes ASAP. That is, unless you are trying to get your email deleted or generate a few unsubscribes.','You do know you can segment your mailing list, right?','','publish','open','open','','you-do-know-you-can-segment-your-mailing-list-right','','','2018-01-11 14:23:47','2018-01-11 19:23:47','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3628',0,'post','',0),(3629,4,'2018-01-11 14:23:47','2018-01-11 19:23:47','Today, I got an email about a six-week communications leadership seminar. It sounds interesting, except it takes place in Chicago and I live near Washington, D.C. The target audience for this seminar is business professionals who live in the greater Chicago are yet this email was probably sent to the whole list.\r\n\r\nEmail marketing is great because it is relatively inexpensive, and because it is highly customizable. Say you are a retailer with stores across the country. You could send emails to your customers in specific locations announcing the opening of a new store or a change in hours, or perhaps a change in location.\r\n\r\n<strong>In other words, with email marketing you can send targeted email messages that are relevant to their recipients at a relatively low cost.</strong>\r\n\r\nYet the email I received about the Chicago seminar is not relevant. It is just clutter in my inbox. Why did I get this email? I\'d venture to say it is because the list owner did not either a) segment the list, or b) gather enough information from the recipients to allow for segmentation, or c) both.\r\n\r\nMost email marketing programs allow for list segmentation. If you are marketing to a diverse audience, you will have to gather some relevant information to be able to segment your list or to be able to personalize it. If you don\'t gather information that will allow segmentation and/or you have an email provider that doesn\'t allow for segmentation, you need to make some changes ASAP. That is, unless you are trying to get your email deleted or generate a few unsubscribes.','You do know you can segment your mailing list, right?','','inherit','open','open','','3628-revision-v1','','','2018-01-11 14:23:47','2018-01-11 19:23:47','',3628,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/01/3628-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3631,4,'2018-01-24 13:32:02','2018-01-24 18:32:02','<strong>This is not the Spam that comes in a can</strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">On the telephone</span>\r\n\r\nHave you received multiple calls on your landline and/or cell phone that are in the same area code and start with the same three digits as your phone number? Chances are high that you have. Spammers are hoping that you will think that this a local number and therefore will answer. However, when they keep using this technique over and over and over again, and when caller ID shows you names of people you don\'t know, you learn pretty quickly that this is a spam call and you don\'t answer.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">On email </span>\r\n\r\nIf you are a website owner, have you received emails telling you that you have problems on your website and that the emailer can fix these \"fatal\" errors so that your website can function? After the second or third one, chances are good you figured out that this is a scam and you deleted the email and/or added it to your junk list and/or reported it.\r\n\r\nor\r\n\r\nHave you gotten an email like this one I have already received twice (word for word) from \"Tina Richardson:\"\r\n<blockquote>Hello Deborah,\r\n\r\nI just came across the Mad Mimi piece, \"<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/922a47%3cbr%20/%3ehttps:/madmimi.com/s/913837%3cbr%20/%3ehttps:/madmimi.com/s/15fdf6\">Dyscalculia and MLD Newsletter</a>.\" Nice job! As a heads up, your site is not WC3 accessible for people with physical disabilities related to dyscalculia. I get it: your website can\'t be accessibility compliant without sacrificing design, interactivity and general user experience for visitors without disabilities (paying 50% more for designers and coders might help, but would still fall short).</blockquote>\r\nThe very red flag here is that there is no \"Mad Mimi\" piece that I wrote about dyscalculia.\r\n\r\nThese are real examples. I get these calls and emails, several times a day. Apparently, the idea here is that I am going to believe that the call is from someone I know, or that my website has a ton of problems, or even that I wrote something that I didn\'t. In short, all these \"marketing\" pieces depend on my naivete or stupidity or lack of common sense. They are designed so that a trusting or uninformed person falls for them.\r\n\r\n<strong>What differentiates spam marketing from real marketing</strong>\r\n\r\nHow you view your target audience determines what kind of marketer you are. If you view your audience as naive, easily swayed or just plain stupid, chances are you are a spammer/scammer. If, on the other hand, you view your audience as knowledge-seeking and perhaps even sophisticated, chances you are a real marketer (and therefore probably more successful).\r\n\r\nReal marketing seeks to give potential customers fact-based information on which to base a buying decision. Spam/scam marketing often uses fear-mongering or the assumption that the target does not have enough information.\r\n\r\nIf you want to be taken seriously, do not view your target audience as stupid, gullible, uniformed, unsophisticated. Instead, view your target as smart and then your marketing will also be smart and successful.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How do you view your target audience?','','publish','open','open','','how-do-you-view-your-target-audience','','','2018-01-24 13:32:02','2018-01-24 18:32:02','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3631',0,'post','',0),(3632,4,'2018-01-23 13:05:54','2018-01-23 18:05:54','How you view your target audience determines what kind of marketer you are. If you view your audience as naive, easily swayed or just plain stupid, chances are you are a spammer. If, on the other hand, you view your audience as knowledge-seeking and perhaps even sophisticated, chances you are a genuine marketer (and therefore probably more successful).','How do you view your target audience?','','inherit','open','open','','3631-revision-v1','','','2018-01-23 13:05:54','2018-01-23 18:05:54','',3631,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/01/3631-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3633,4,'2018-01-24 13:32:02','2018-01-24 18:32:02','<strong>This is not the Spam that comes in a can</strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">On the telephone</span>\r\n\r\nHave you received multiple calls on your landline and/or cell phone that are in the same area code and start with the same three digits as your phone number? Chances are high that you have. Spammers are hoping that you will think that this a local number and therefore will answer. However, when they keep using this technique over and over and over again, and when caller ID shows you names of people you don\'t know, you learn pretty quickly that this is a spam call and you don\'t answer.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">On email </span>\r\n\r\nIf you are a website owner, have you received emails telling you that you have problems on your website and that the emailer can fix these \"fatal\" errors so that your website can function? After the second or third one, chances are good you figured out that this is a scam and you deleted the email and/or added it to your junk list and/or reported it.\r\n\r\nor\r\n\r\nHave you gotten an email like this one I have already received twice (word for word) from \"Tina Richardson:\"\r\n<blockquote>Hello Deborah,\r\n\r\nI just came across the Mad Mimi piece, \"<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/922a47%3cbr%20/%3ehttps:/madmimi.com/s/913837%3cbr%20/%3ehttps:/madmimi.com/s/15fdf6\">Dyscalculia and MLD Newsletter</a>.\" Nice job! As a heads up, your site is not WC3 accessible for people with physical disabilities related to dyscalculia. I get it: your website can\'t be accessibility compliant without sacrificing design, interactivity and general user experience for visitors without disabilities (paying 50% more for designers and coders might help, but would still fall short).</blockquote>\r\nThe very red flag here is that there is no \"Mad Mimi\" piece that I wrote about dyscalculia.\r\n\r\nThese are real examples. I get these calls and emails, several times a day. Apparently, the idea here is that I am going to believe that the call is from someone I know, or that my website has a ton of problems, or even that I wrote something that I didn\'t. In short, all these \"marketing\" pieces depend on my naivete or stupidity or lack of common sense. They are designed so that a trusting or uninformed person falls for them.\r\n\r\n<strong>What differentiates spam marketing from real marketing</strong>\r\n\r\nHow you view your target audience determines what kind of marketer you are. If you view your audience as naive, easily swayed or just plain stupid, chances are you are a spammer/scammer. If, on the other hand, you view your audience as knowledge-seeking and perhaps even sophisticated, chances you are a real marketer (and therefore probably more successful).\r\n\r\nReal marketing seeks to give potential customers fact-based information on which to base a buying decision. Spam/scam marketing often uses fear-mongering or the assumption that the target does not have enough information.\r\n\r\nIf you want to be taken seriously, do not view your target audience as stupid, gullible, uniformed, unsophisticated. Instead, view your target as smart and then your marketing will also be smart and successful.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How do you view your target audience?','','inherit','open','open','','3631-revision-v1','','','2018-01-24 13:32:02','2018-01-24 18:32:02','',3631,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/01/3631-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3635,4,'2018-02-02 12:08:54','2018-02-02 17:08:54','I just came back from a mini-vacation to visit family in New York City. It was lots of fun--there was lots of walking, and lots of eating. But great time aside, I noticed that different vendors/organizations set expectations differently. Setting customer expectations early and clearly helps ensure your customers have a good experience with your organization.\r\n\r\n<strong>Either put those jackets back on or tie them around your waist</strong>\r\n\r\nMy cousin and I visited the Jewish Museum in New York. It was warm in the building and once we got to the floor for the special exhibit we were there to see, we had removed our winter coats and had them draped over our arms. Within seconds, a guard was telling us we had to put the coats on or tie them around our waist. It was too late to go back down to the coat check so we both put the coats around our shoulders. But we were uncomfortably warm. The woman at the admissions desk could have told us to check our coats. She could\'ve given us a map of the museum or some (any) information. She did nothing but take our money and give us tickets. She, and the museum itself, did not set expectations properly.  (P.S.:  Directly after the Jewish Museum, I went to the Met. The guards there do not care if you carry your coat.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Wagamama knows how to do it</strong>\r\n\r\nWagamama is a British chain of Asian-style food. They\'ve only recently expanded to the United States with a couple restaurants in New York City. Most Americans are probably not familiar with the chain, and the first question my server asked was whether I had dined at Wagamama before (I have). Since Wagamama has a quirky way of serving—they mark your order on your placemat and then bring out food as it\'s ready—the waiter wanted to set my expectations. Like I said I have dined there, but I appreciated the reminder (it\'d been a long time).\r\n\r\n<strong>Vamoose is confuse(d)—and uneven</strong>\r\n\r\nI\'ve taken Vamoose before, and I thought I knew how they operate.  For example, I know that when you get to the designated pick up stop, there will be a line to get on the bus. Obviously, the closer to the front of the line you are, the more likely you will be able to sit where you prefer. On the trip from DC to New York, the bus attendants gave out water and newspapers. But after getting on the bus, there was not a word from anybody. Nobody told us about WiFi, lights, bathrooms/rest stops, how long the trip was expected to take, nothing. The driver did not utter a word until about two and half hours into the ride, and that was <em>after</em> he stopped at a rest stop and then all he told us was that we had fifteen minutes to use the facilities.\r\n\r\nOn the return trip, when I got to the stop in New York, I wanted to make sure there would be water, and I asked the attendant if they would give it out. He didn\'t know. Based on my experience and expectation, they would hand out water, but I decided not to take any chances and went to buy some. Good thing I did because there was no water to be had from Vamoose. In other words, they did not meet an expectation, nor did they set it appropriately.\r\n\r\nOnce I got on the bus, one of the attendants gave a detailed announcement about the WiFi, travel time, bathroom availability, and also, telling people to keep conversations short and phones on mute. That was a plus and something that had not been done on the trip there. It was a good thing the attendant gave that information, because for the rest of the trip, there was not one word from the driver. He did not stop at all. He did not even announce that we had arrived at the first stop in the DC area, or how long the bus would be there to offload passengers.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNone of these experiences changes my opinion on the  organization/business. I would still attend the Jewish Museum in the future,  still eat at Wagamama, and still ride the Vamoose to New York. I chose these organizations for specific reasons—interest in the exhibit (museum), type of food and ambiance (Wagamama), and convenience and price (Vamoose).\r\n\r\nEven though you choose to do business with companies and organizations in spite of any shortcomings,  those that are able to set, manage, and most importantly, meet customer expectations will provide a more enjoyable customer experience.','Setting customer expectations ','','publish','open','open','','setting-customer-expectations','','','2018-02-02 12:08:54','2018-02-02 17:08:54','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3635',0,'post','',0),(3636,4,'2018-02-02 10:06:56','2018-02-02 15:06:56','I just came back from a mini-vacation to visit family in New York City. It was lots of fun, lots of walking, and lots of eating. But great time aside, I noticed that different vendors/organizations set expectations differently.\r\n\r\nWagamama knows how to do it.\r\n\r\nWagamama is a British chain of Asian-style food. They\'ve only recently expanded to the United States with a couple restaurants in New York City. Most Americans are probably not familiar with the chain, and the first question my server asked was whether I had dined at Wagamama before. Since Wagamama has a quirky was of serving-they mark your order on your placemat and then bring out food as its ready--the waiter wanted to set my expectations. I have dined there, but I appreciated the reminder.\r\n\r\nVamoose is confuse(d) --and uneven\r\n\r\nI\'ve taken Vamoose before, and I know how they operate....but only because I\'ve gone to New York with them before. When you get to the designated pick up stop, there will be a line to get on the bus. Obviously, the closer to the front of the line you are, the more likely you will be able to sit where you prefer. On the trip from DC to NYC, the bus attendants gave out water and newspapers. But after getting on the bus, there was not a word from anybody. Nobody told us about WiFi, lights, how long the trip was expected to take, whether there would be any stops, nothing. The driver did not utter a word until about two and half hours into the ride, and that was after he stopped at a rest stop. He told us we had fifteen minutes.\r\n\r\nOn the return trip, I got to the stop and there was a line snaking down the block. I asked the attendant if they would give out water. He didn\'t know. I decided to take no chances and went to buy some. Once I got on the bus, which was full, one of the attendants gave a detailed announcement about the WiFi, travel time, and also, telling people to keep conversations short and phones on mute.','Setting customer expectations ','','inherit','open','open','','3635-revision-v1','','','2018-02-02 10:06:56','2018-02-02 15:06:56','',3635,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3635-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3637,4,'2018-02-02 11:16:47','2018-02-02 16:16:47','I just came back from a mini-vacation to visit family in New York City. It was lots of fun, lots of walking, and lots of eating. But great time aside, I noticed that different vendors/organizations set expectations differently. Setting customer expectations early and clearly helps ensure they have a good experience with your organization.\r\n\r\nEither put those jackets back on or tie them around your waist\r\n\r\nMy cousin and I visited the Jewish Museum in New York. Once we got to the floor for the e\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWagamama knows how to do it.\r\n\r\nWagamama is a British chain of Asian-style food. They\'ve only recently expanded to the United States with a couple restaurants in New York City. Most Americans are probably not familiar with the chain, and the first question my server asked was whether I had dined at Wagamama before. Since Wagamama has a quirky was of serving-they mark your order on your placemat and then bring out food as its ready--the waiter wanted to set my expectations. I have dined there, but I appreciated the reminder.\r\n\r\nVamoose is confuse(d) --and uneven\r\n\r\nI\'ve taken Vamoose before, and I know how they operate....but only because I\'ve gone to New York with them before. When you get to the designated pick up stop, there will be a line to get on the bus. Obviously, the closer to the front of the line you are, the more likely you will be able to sit where you prefer. On the trip from DC to NYC, the bus attendants gave out water and newspapers. But after getting on the bus, there was not a word from anybody. Nobody told us about WiFi, lights, how long the trip was expected to take, whether there would be any stops, nothing. The driver did not utter a word until about two and half hours into the ride, and that was after he stopped at a rest stop. He told us we had fifteen minutes.\r\n\r\nOn the return trip, I got to the stop and there was a line snaking down the block. I asked the attendant if they would give out water. He didn\'t know. I decided to take no chances and went to buy some. Once I got on the bus, which was full, one of the attendants gave a detailed announcement about the WiFi, travel time, and also, telling people to keep conversations short and phones on mute.','Setting customer expectations ','','inherit','open','open','','3635-revision-v1','','','2018-02-02 11:16:47','2018-02-02 16:16:47','',3635,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3635-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3638,4,'2018-02-02 12:03:40','2018-02-02 17:03:40','I just came back from a mini-vacation to visit family in New York City. It was lots of fun--there was lots of walking, and lots of eating. But great time aside, I noticed that different vendors/organizations set expectations differently. Setting customer expectations early and clearly helps ensure your customers have a good experience with your organization.\r\n\r\n<strong>Either put those jackets back on or tie them around your waist</strong>\r\n\r\nMy cousin and I visited the Jewish Museum in New York. It was warm in the building and once we got to the floor for the special exhibit we were there to see, we had removed our winter coats and had them draped over our arms. Within seconds, a guard was telling us we had to put the coats on or tie them around our waist. It was too late to go back down to the coat check so we both put the coats around our shoulders. But we were uncomfortably warm. The woman at the admissions desk could have told us to check our coats. She could\'ve given us a map of the museum or some (any) information. She did nothing but take our money and give us tickets. Her one instruction was to be sure to put the sticker on our clothes. She, and the museum itself, did not set expectations properly.  (P.S.:  Directly after the Jewish Museum, I went to the Met. The guards there do not care if you carry your coat.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Wagamama knows how to do it</strong>\r\n\r\nWagamama is a British chain of Asian-style food. They\'ve only recently expanded to the United States with a couple restaurants in New York City. Most Americans are probably not familiar with the chain, and the first question my server asked was whether I had dined at Wagamama before (I have). Since Wagamama has a quirky was of serving—they mark your order on your placemat and then bring out food as it\'s ready—the waiter wanted to set my expectations. Like I said I have dined there, but I appreciated the reminder (it\'d been a long time).\r\n\r\n<strong>Vamoose is confuse(d)—and uneven</strong>\r\n\r\nI\'ve taken Vamoose before, and I thought I knew how they operate.  For example, I know that when you get to the designated pick up stop, there will be a line to get on the bus. Obviously, the closer to the front of the line you are, the more likely you will be able to sit where you prefer. On the trip from DC to New York, the bus attendants gave out water and newspapers. But after getting on the bus, there was not a word from anybody. Nobody told us about WiFi, lights, bathrooms/rest stops, how long the trip was expected to take, nothing. The driver did not utter a word until about two and half hours into the ride, and that was <em>after</em> he stopped at a rest stop and then all he told us was that we had fifteen minutes to use the facilities.\r\n\r\nOn the return trip, when I got to the stop in New York, I wanted to make sure there would be water, and I asked the attendant if they would give it out. He didn\'t know. Based on my experience and expectation, they would hand out water, but I decided not to take any chances and went to buy some. Good thing I did because there was no water to be had from Vamoose. In other words, they did not meet an expectation, nor did they set it appropriately.\r\n\r\nOnce I got on the bus, one of the attendants gave a detailed announcement about the WiFi, travel time, and also, telling people to keep conversations short and phones on mute. That was a plus and something that had not been done on the trip there. It was a good thing the attendant gave that information, because for the rest of the trip, there was not one word from the driver. Not one stop, nothing. He did not even announce that we had arrived at Bethesda  or how long the bus would be at that first stop in the DC area.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNone of these experiences changes my opinion on the  organization/business. I would still attend the Jewish Museum in the future,  still eat at Wagamama, and still ride the Vamoose to New York. I chose these organizations for specific reasons—interest in the exhibit (museum), type of food and ambiance (Wagamama), and convenience and price (Vamoose).\r\n\r\nEven though you choose to do business with companies and organizations in spite of any shortcomings,  those that are able to set, manage, and most importantly, meet customer expectations will provide a more enjoyable customer experience.','Setting customer expectations ','','inherit','open','open','','3635-revision-v1','','','2018-02-02 12:03:40','2018-02-02 17:03:40','',3635,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3635-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3639,4,'2018-02-02 12:08:54','2018-02-02 17:08:54','I just came back from a mini-vacation to visit family in New York City. It was lots of fun--there was lots of walking, and lots of eating. But great time aside, I noticed that different vendors/organizations set expectations differently. Setting customer expectations early and clearly helps ensure your customers have a good experience with your organization.\r\n\r\n<strong>Either put those jackets back on or tie them around your waist</strong>\r\n\r\nMy cousin and I visited the Jewish Museum in New York. It was warm in the building and once we got to the floor for the special exhibit we were there to see, we had removed our winter coats and had them draped over our arms. Within seconds, a guard was telling us we had to put the coats on or tie them around our waist. It was too late to go back down to the coat check so we both put the coats around our shoulders. But we were uncomfortably warm. The woman at the admissions desk could have told us to check our coats. She could\'ve given us a map of the museum or some (any) information. She did nothing but take our money and give us tickets. She, and the museum itself, did not set expectations properly.  (P.S.:  Directly after the Jewish Museum, I went to the Met. The guards there do not care if you carry your coat.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Wagamama knows how to do it</strong>\r\n\r\nWagamama is a British chain of Asian-style food. They\'ve only recently expanded to the United States with a couple restaurants in New York City. Most Americans are probably not familiar with the chain, and the first question my server asked was whether I had dined at Wagamama before (I have). Since Wagamama has a quirky way of serving—they mark your order on your placemat and then bring out food as it\'s ready—the waiter wanted to set my expectations. Like I said I have dined there, but I appreciated the reminder (it\'d been a long time).\r\n\r\n<strong>Vamoose is confuse(d)—and uneven</strong>\r\n\r\nI\'ve taken Vamoose before, and I thought I knew how they operate.  For example, I know that when you get to the designated pick up stop, there will be a line to get on the bus. Obviously, the closer to the front of the line you are, the more likely you will be able to sit where you prefer. On the trip from DC to New York, the bus attendants gave out water and newspapers. But after getting on the bus, there was not a word from anybody. Nobody told us about WiFi, lights, bathrooms/rest stops, how long the trip was expected to take, nothing. The driver did not utter a word until about two and half hours into the ride, and that was <em>after</em> he stopped at a rest stop and then all he told us was that we had fifteen minutes to use the facilities.\r\n\r\nOn the return trip, when I got to the stop in New York, I wanted to make sure there would be water, and I asked the attendant if they would give it out. He didn\'t know. Based on my experience and expectation, they would hand out water, but I decided not to take any chances and went to buy some. Good thing I did because there was no water to be had from Vamoose. In other words, they did not meet an expectation, nor did they set it appropriately.\r\n\r\nOnce I got on the bus, one of the attendants gave a detailed announcement about the WiFi, travel time, bathroom availability, and also, telling people to keep conversations short and phones on mute. That was a plus and something that had not been done on the trip there. It was a good thing the attendant gave that information, because for the rest of the trip, there was not one word from the driver. He did not stop at all. He did not even announce that we had arrived at the first stop in the DC area, or how long the bus would be there to offload passengers.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNone of these experiences changes my opinion on the  organization/business. I would still attend the Jewish Museum in the future,  still eat at Wagamama, and still ride the Vamoose to New York. I chose these organizations for specific reasons—interest in the exhibit (museum), type of food and ambiance (Wagamama), and convenience and price (Vamoose).\r\n\r\nEven though you choose to do business with companies and organizations in spite of any shortcomings,  those that are able to set, manage, and most importantly, meet customer expectations will provide a more enjoyable customer experience.','Setting customer expectations ','','inherit','open','open','','3635-revision-v1','','','2018-02-02 12:08:54','2018-02-02 17:08:54','',3635,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3635-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3641,4,'2018-02-08 11:13:42','2018-02-08 16:13:42','But I don\'t ever buy Doritos. I also never drink Mountain Dew. I certainly do not drink Bud Light. Or Michelob Ultra. I don\'t use Tide. And I am not about to go get life insurance from Mass Mutual.\r\n\r\nIf you prefer real beer to Bud Light, no amount of clever/funny/slick ads will change your mind. If you, like me, avoid sugary sodas, having Morgan Freeman appear in an ad drinking one, is not going to make you run out and buy a case.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>They are memorable</strong></em>\r\n\r\nAs a marketing communications person, I\'ve been closely watching Super Bowl ads for the past 20 years. When I worked at an ad agency in Boston in the 1990s, we had time set aside to view the Super Bowl ad reels, and discuss. If you study Super Bowl ads, you can see that many are memorable, and are often discussed for years after they aired. Here, check out this<a href=\"http://admeter.usatoday.com/2015/01/13/all-time-greatest-super-bowl-commercials/\" target=\"_blank\"> list</a> of the top spots from the last 30 years and see how many you remember.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>They cost a lot</strong></em>\r\n\r\nSuper Bowl ads are very expensive: expensive to produce (how much do you think Morgan Freeman got paid to swill the Dew?) and expensive to place. They are very high profile, and are seen by millions of people. Most of these ads are what the industry calls \"image ads.\" That is, these ads promote a brand\'s image more so than making a sale. They raise \"brand awareness.\" And yet, any advertiser that has the budget necessary to run ads on the Super Bowl already has brand awareness. So why bother?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>But do they have a good ROI?</strong></em>\r\n\r\nTo use an industry term, what exactly is the ROI (return on investment) on a Super Bowl ad? What do you think? Do you think the high investment provides the returns to justify doing so?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','I really liked that Super Bowl ad for Doritos','','publish','open','open','','i-really-liked-that-super-bowl-ad-for-doritos','','','2018-02-08 11:13:42','2018-02-08 16:13:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3641',0,'post','',0),(3642,4,'2018-02-08 11:12:42','2018-02-08 16:12:42','But I don\'t ever buy Doritos. I also never drink Mountain Dew. I certainly do not drink Bud Light. Or Michelob Ultra. I don\'t use Tide. And I am not about to go get life insurance from Mass Mutual.\r\n\r\nIf you prefer real beer to Bud Light, no amount of clever/funny/slick ads will change your mind. If you, like me, avoid sugary sodas, having Morgan Freeman appear in an ad drinking one, is not going to make you run out and buy a case.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>They are memorable</strong></em>\r\n\r\nAs a marketing communications person, I\'ve been closely watching Super Bowl ads for the past 20 years. When I worked at an ad agency in Boston in the 1990s, we had time set aside to view the Super Bowl ad reels, and discuss. If you study Super Bowl ads, you can see that many are memorable, and are often discussed for years after they aired. Here, check out this<a href=\"http://admeter.usatoday.com/2015/01/13/all-time-greatest-super-bowl-commercials/\" target=\"_blank\"> list</a> of the top spots from the last 30 years and see how many you remember.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>They cost a lot</strong></em>\r\n\r\nSuper Bowl ads are very expensive: expensive to produce (how much do you think Morgan Freeman got paid to swill the Dew?) and expensive to place. They are very high profile, and are seen by millions of people. Most of these ads are what the industry calls \"image ads.\" That is, these ads promote a brand\'s image more so than making a sale. They raise \"brand awareness.\" And yet, any advertiser that has the budget necessary to run ads on the Super Bowl already has brand awareness. So why bother?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>But do they have a good ROI?</strong></em>\r\n\r\nTo use an industry term, what exactly is the ROI (return on investment) on a Super Bowl ad? What do you think? Do you think the high investment provides the returns to justify doing so?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','I really liked that Super Bowl ad for Doritos','','inherit','open','open','','3641-revision-v1','','','2018-02-08 11:12:42','2018-02-08 16:12:42','',3641,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3641-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3647,4,'2018-02-11 11:14:50','2018-02-11 16:14:50','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How I Can Help You\r\n</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with me, an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nI will work with you to find the best, most effective solution to your marketing challenge.\r\n\r\nLet\'s create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish).</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Choose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a <strong>reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner</strong>.\r\n\r\nYou\'ll find that my services are a more <strong>focused and personalized</strong> alternative to the traditional advertising, marketing or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s new:\r\n\r\nBook a free 15-minute consultation\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 11:14:50','2018-02-11 16:14:50','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3643,4,'2018-02-09 11:31:42','2018-02-09 16:31:42','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How I Can Help You\r\n</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with me, an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nI will work with you to find the best, most effective solution to your marketing challenge.\r\n\r\nLet\'s create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish).</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Choose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a <strong>reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner</strong>.\r\n\r\nYou\'ll find that my services are a more <strong>focused and personalized</strong> alternative to the traditional advertising, marketing or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n\r\nBook a free 15-minute consultation\r\n\r\n[10to8booking organisation_id=\"8ac2d0e7-2f0e-4c54-aaa5-1fe51d379a75\"]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2018-02-09 11:31:42','2018-02-09 16:31:42','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3644,4,'2018-02-11 11:09:07','2018-02-11 16:09:07','Book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your marketing communication project and learn how I can help.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[10to8booking organisation_id=\"8ac2d0e7-2f0e-4c54-aaa5-1fe51d379a75\"]','Booking','','publish','open','open','','booking','','','2018-02-11 11:16:00','2018-02-11 16:16:00','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/?page_id=3644',0,'page','',0),(3645,4,'2018-02-11 11:09:07','2018-02-11 16:09:07','','Booking','','inherit','open','open','','3644-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 11:09:07','2018-02-11 16:09:07','',3644,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3644-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3646,4,'2018-02-11 11:10:32','2018-02-11 16:10:32',' ','','','publish','open','open','','3646','','','2018-02-12 10:39:33','2018-02-12 15:39:33','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3646',18,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3648,4,'2018-02-11 11:16:00','2018-02-11 16:16:00','Book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your marketing communication project and learn how I can help.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[10to8booking organisation_id=\"8ac2d0e7-2f0e-4c54-aaa5-1fe51d379a75\"]','Booking','','inherit','open','open','','3644-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 11:16:00','2018-02-11 16:16:00','',3644,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3644-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3649,4,'2018-02-11 11:17:02','2018-02-11 16:17:02','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How I Can Help You\r\n</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with me, an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nI will work with you to find the best, most effective solution to your marketing challenge.\r\n\r\nLet\'s create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish).</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Choose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a <strong>reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner</strong>.\r\n\r\nYou\'ll find that my services are a more <strong>focused and personalized</strong> alternative to the traditional advertising, marketing or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n\r\n<strong>What\'s new:</strong>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">Book a free 15-minute consultation</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 11:17:02','2018-02-11 16:17:02','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3650,4,'2018-02-11 11:22:39','2018-02-11 16:22:39','<strong>The Five-Part Brand Identity/Marketing Messaging Kit</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>Communicate what you do</em>\r\n\r\nDescribing your own company or organization is challenging. Doing so concisely and effectively is even harder. Many organizations struggle to articulate clearly what they do and what makes them stand out. This five-part brand identity/marketing messaging kit will provide your organization, start-up, or business with the message elements you need to <em>effectively </em>communicate what you do.\r\n\r\n<em>What is brand identity?</em>\r\n\r\nYour brand is your mark of distinction-- what makes you known, and what separates you from your competition. Your brand identity is how you communicate your brand—the words you use, the tone, the design. While this kit does not provide visual brand identity or design, it can help a graphic designer better understand your brand.\r\n\r\n<em>There are five parts in your brand identity/marketing messaging kit</em>\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Brand positioning statement</strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>Concisely communicates the value of what you do to your target audience, and provides focus to your marketing strategy.</em>\r\n<ol start=\"2\">\r\n	<li><strong>Key messages</strong> along with supporting points (up to 5)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>The most important statements about what your organization does, and its beliefs and values. </em>\r\n<ol start=\"3\">\r\n	<li><strong>Short organizational/company description</strong> (25-50 words)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>Quick summary of who you are and what you do, useful in elevator pitches.</em>\r\n<ol start=\"4\">\r\n	<li><strong>Long organizational/company</strong> <strong>description</strong> (150-200 words)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>A detailed accounting of your organization, which can be used in your “about us” page, or to describe your organization in a proposal.</em>\r\n<ol start=\"5\">\r\n	<li><strong>Tagline</strong> suggestions (up to 10)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>Used in marketing materials to quickly and memorably describe your organization.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Why work with me</em>\r\n\r\nOver the course of my 25-year career, I have helped dozens of companies and organizations (in various sectors including technology, finance, and nonprofit) to communicate better and more effectively. As a marketing communications writer and consultant, I am an expert at learning about you and then explaining to your target audience who you are, what you do, and why you’re better or different than your competition.\r\n\r\n<em>How it gets done</em>\r\n\r\nYou’ll receive a comprehensive messaging questionnaire. We’ll then have an in-depth conversation about your organization or business. Using your input and my messaging expertise, I’ll provide you with your brand identity kit. You’ll review the first draft, and I will incorporate your changes. You can expect to have finalized kit within three weeks of our initial conversation.\r\n\r\n<em>Your investment</em>\r\n\r\n$995, in two payments: 50% up front and 50% upon completion.','Brand Identity Kit','','publish','open','open','','brand-identity-kit','','','2018-02-12 15:48:55','2018-02-12 20:48:55','',14,'http://deborahbrody.com/?page_id=3650',0,'page','',4),(3651,4,'2018-02-11 11:22:39','2018-02-11 16:22:39','','Brand Identity Kit','','inherit','open','open','','3650-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 11:22:39','2018-02-11 16:22:39','',3650,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3650-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3652,4,'2018-02-11 11:23:33','2018-02-11 16:23:33',' ','','','publish','open','open','','3652','','','2018-02-12 10:39:32','2018-02-12 15:39:32','',14,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3652',3,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3653,4,'2018-02-11 11:28:23','2018-02-11 16:28:23','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How I Can Help You\r\n</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with me, an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nI will work with you to find the best, most effective solution to your marketing challenge.\r\n\r\nLet\'s create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish).</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Choose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a <strong>reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner</strong>.\r\n\r\nYou\'ll find that my services are a more <strong>focused and personalized</strong> alternative to the traditional advertising, marketing or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n<h4><strong>What\'s new:</strong></h4>\r\n<a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">Book a free 15-minute consultation</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 11:28:23','2018-02-11 16:28:23','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3654,4,'2018-02-11 12:56:25','2018-02-11 17:56:25','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How I Can Help You\r\n</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with me, an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nI will work with you to find the best, most effective solution to your marketing challenge.\r\n\r\nLet\'s create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish).</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Choose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a <strong>reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner</strong>.\r\n\r\nYou\'ll find that my services are a more <strong>focused and personalized</strong> alternative to the traditional advertising, marketing or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n<h4><strong>What\'s new:</strong></h4>\r\n<a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">Book a free 15-minute consultation!</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2018-02-11 12:56:25','2018-02-11 17:56:25','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3655,4,'2018-02-12 10:36:33','2018-02-12 15:36:33','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">None currently scheduled.\r\n</span></strong>\r\n<h2> Past events:</h2>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>September 18, 2014 </strong>Presented<strong> How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop. </strong></span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\r\n</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>April 1, 2014 </strong>Presented <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop </strong>in Washington, DC<strong>. </strong><strong>\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>November 12, 2013</strong> Presented <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop</strong> in Washington, DC.\r\n\r\n<strong>October 2, 2013:</strong> Presented <strong>Blogs: What to Write and Why</strong> to the Web Writing and Content Strategy class at Johns Hopkins, Washington, DC campus.\r\n\r\n<strong>June 25, 2013:</strong> Presented a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2253\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2253\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1-300x245.jpg\" alt=\"Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" /></a> Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Events','','publish','open','open','','calendar','','','2018-02-12 10:41:32','2018-02-12 15:41:32','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?page_id=3655',0,'page','',0),(3656,4,'2018-02-12 10:36:33','2018-02-12 15:36:33','Booking\r\n\r\nEvents','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','3655-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 10:36:33','2018-02-12 15:36:33','',3655,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3655-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3657,4,'2018-02-12 10:38:04','2018-02-12 15:38:04',' ','','','publish','open','open','','3657','','','2018-02-12 10:39:33','2018-02-12 15:39:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3657',19,'nav_menu_item','',0),(3658,4,'2018-02-12 10:40:24','2018-02-12 15:40:24','Booking\r\n\r\nEvents','Events','','inherit','open','open','','3655-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 10:40:24','2018-02-12 15:40:24','',3655,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3655-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3659,4,'2018-02-12 10:41:32','2018-02-12 15:41:32','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">None currently scheduled.\r\n</span></strong>\r\n<h2> Past events:</h2>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>September 18, 2014 </strong>Presented<strong> How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop. </strong></span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\r\n</span></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>April 1, 2014 </strong>Presented <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop </strong>in Washington, DC<strong>. </strong><strong>\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>November 12, 2013</strong> Presented <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop</strong> in Washington, DC.\r\n\r\n<strong>October 2, 2013:</strong> Presented <strong>Blogs: What to Write and Why</strong> to the Web Writing and Content Strategy class at Johns Hopkins, Washington, DC campus.\r\n\r\n<strong>June 25, 2013:</strong> Presented a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2253\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2253\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1-300x245.jpg\" alt=\"Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" /></a> Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Events','','inherit','open','open','','3655-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 10:41:32','2018-02-12 15:41:32','',3655,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3655-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3661,4,'2018-02-12 15:48:55','2018-02-12 20:48:55','<strong>The Five-Part Brand Identity/Marketing Messaging Kit</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>Communicate what you do</em>\r\n\r\nDescribing your own company or organization is challenging. Doing so concisely and effectively is even harder. Many organizations struggle to articulate clearly what they do and what makes them stand out. This five-part brand identity/marketing messaging kit will provide your organization, start-up, or business with the message elements you need to <em>effectively </em>communicate what you do.\r\n\r\n<em>What is brand identity?</em>\r\n\r\nYour brand is your mark of distinction-- what makes you known, and what separates you from your competition. Your brand identity is how you communicate your brand—the words you use, the tone, the design. While this kit does not provide visual brand identity or design, it can help a graphic designer better understand your brand.\r\n\r\n<em>There are five parts in your brand identity/marketing messaging kit</em>\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><strong>Brand positioning statement</strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>Concisely communicates the value of what you do to your target audience, and provides focus to your marketing strategy.</em>\r\n<ol start=\"2\">\r\n	<li><strong>Key messages</strong> along with supporting points (up to 5)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>The most important statements about what your organization does, and its beliefs and values. </em>\r\n<ol start=\"3\">\r\n	<li><strong>Short organizational/company description</strong> (25-50 words)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>Quick summary of who you are and what you do, useful in elevator pitches.</em>\r\n<ol start=\"4\">\r\n	<li><strong>Long organizational/company</strong> <strong>description</strong> (150-200 words)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>A detailed accounting of your organization, which can be used in your “about us” page, or to describe your organization in a proposal.</em>\r\n<ol start=\"5\">\r\n	<li><strong>Tagline</strong> suggestions (up to 10)</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<em>Used in marketing materials to quickly and memorably describe your organization.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Why work with me</em>\r\n\r\nOver the course of my 25-year career, I have helped dozens of companies and organizations (in various sectors including technology, finance, and nonprofit) to communicate better and more effectively. As a marketing communications writer and consultant, I am an expert at learning about you and then explaining to your target audience who you are, what you do, and why you’re better or different than your competition.\r\n\r\n<em>How it gets done</em>\r\n\r\nYou’ll receive a comprehensive messaging questionnaire. We’ll then have an in-depth conversation about your organization or business. Using your input and my messaging expertise, I’ll provide you with your brand identity kit. You’ll review the first draft, and I will incorporate your changes. You can expect to have finalized kit within three weeks of our initial conversation.\r\n\r\n<em>Your investment</em>\r\n\r\n$995, in two payments: 50% up front and 50% upon completion.','Brand Identity Kit','','inherit','open','open','','3650-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 15:48:55','2018-02-12 20:48:55','',3650,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3650-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3663,4,'2018-02-12 15:50:22','2018-02-12 20:50:22','We work with clients to create or improve marketing and communications materials. In order to do so, we provide the following services:\r\n<h2><a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\">NEW! Brand Identity Kit</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Writing/Copywriting\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/writing/\">Writing</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Copy Editing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/copy-editing/\">Copy Editing</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Communications Consulting\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/communications-consulting/\">Communications Consulting</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Training\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/training/\">Training</a></h2>','Services','','inherit','open','open','','14-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 15:50:22','2018-02-12 20:50:22','',14,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/14-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3664,4,'2018-02-12 15:52:00','2018-02-12 20:52:00','We work with clients to create or improve marketing and communications materials. In order to do so, we provide the following services:\r\n<h2><a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\">NEW! Brand Identity Kit</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Writing/Copywriting\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/writing/\">Writing</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Copy Editing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/copy-editing/\">Copy Editing</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Communications Consulting\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/communications-consulting/\">Communications Consulting</a></h2>\r\n<h2><a title=\"Training\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/training/\">Training</a></h2>\r\nIf you need further information, or want to discuss how we can work together, please <a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">book a free 15-minute consultation</a> with me.','Services','','inherit','open','open','','14-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 15:52:00','2018-02-12 20:52:00','',14,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/14-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3665,4,'2018-02-12 16:59:52','2018-02-12 21:59:52','<table class=\"homemain\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<table class=\"homeleft\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>How I Can Help You\r\n</strong></h4>\r\nIf you\'re a small to medium size business or a non-profit organization seeking to communicate effectively with your target audience, you\'ve come to the right place.\r\n\r\nAt Deborah Brody Marketing Communications, you\'ll work directly with me, an experienced marketing professional offering an integrated approach to marketing communications.\r\n\r\nI will work with you to find the best, most effective solution to your marketing challenge.\r\n\r\nLet\'s create, recreate or refine your marketing materials (both in English and in Spanish).</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td>\r\n<table class=\"homeright\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<h4><strong>Why Choose DBMC</strong></h4>\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications is a <strong>reliable, creative, professional and knowledgeable marketing partner</strong>.\r\n\r\nYou\'ll find that my services are a more <strong>focused and personalized</strong> alternative to the traditional advertising, marketing or public relations agency.\r\n\r\n<strong>You won\'t pay agency prices</strong> and you won\'t have to deal with inexperienced staff.\r\n<h4><strong>What\'s new:</strong></h4>\r\n<a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\">Brand Identity Kit</a> (the five-part marketing message kit to help you communicate better)\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Booking\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/events/booking/\">Book a free 15-minute consultation!</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<div id=\"contacthome\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"contact\">Contact us</a> today to learn how to improve your marketing and communications.</div>','Home','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-v1','','','2018-02-12 16:59:52','2018-02-12 21:59:52','',2,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3666,4,'2018-02-13 13:30:59','2018-02-13 18:30:59','This morning, I came across an article on <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/\" target=\"_blank\">EaterDC</a> about the new Isabella Eatery food hall at Tyson\'s Galleria in McLean, Virginia: <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/2018/2/12/17004800/isabella-eatery-good-news-bad-news\" target=\"_blank\">Gargantuan Isabella Eatery is Confusing Customers</a>.  It seems  that although some of the elements of the food hall get good reviews for quality and design, customers don\'t know what to make of  the whole thing.  It seems that Isabella Eatery is offering so much that its customers no longer know what Isabella stands for.  (Some background: Mike Isabella was a contestant on Top Chef. Later he went on to open up Graffiato, an Italian restaurant in Washington, DC and later a Italian sandwich shop called G by Mike Isabella. He then expanded into Greek food with three Kapnos restaurants, and then into Spanish food with Arroz. He heads up a company called Mike Isabella Concepts, which also operates a French restaurant, a Mexican restaurant and the aforementioned food hall.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Something for every one?</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd then there\'s the local pizza chain  with the catchy jingle that says it offers \"something for every one.\" The place is called [name] Pizza, and its current TV commercials show pictures of a burger and fries. Because, of course, if you want a burger and fries you\'d call a pizza delivery place, right?\r\n\r\n<strong>Jack of all trades, master (brander) of none</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you seek to please everyone by offering tons of choices, you end up pleasing no one.\r\n\r\nIn terms of branding and marketing, when you offer so many choices (and in Isabella\'s case, cuisines and restaurants) you are violating the first two of <em>The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding</em> by Al Ries and Laura Ries. The first law says that your brand loses its power when you expand your scope, and the second, which really is the inverse of the first, is that having more focus strengthens your brand.\r\n\r\nA strong brand is focused, a weak brand is not. It seems to me that Mike Isabella is expanding at the expense of his brand. And the pizza place? Well I don\'t think it would be anyone\'s first choice for pizza <em>or</em> for burgers.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYour brand is your mark of distinction. How well are you communicating it? If you need help with your branding, check out my new<a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\" target=\"_blank\"> Brand Identity Kit. </a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When your customers don\'t know who you are','','publish','open','open','','when-your-customers-dont-know-who-you-are','','','2018-02-13 13:30:59','2018-02-13 18:30:59','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3666',0,'post','',0),(3667,4,'2018-02-13 10:37:40','2018-02-13 15:37:40','This morning, I came across this article on EaterDC about the new Isabella Eatery food hall at Tyson\'s Galleria in McLean, Virginia:\r\n<a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/2018/2/12/17004800/isabella-eatery-good-news-bad-news\" target=\"_blank\">Gargantuan Isabella Eatery is Confusing Customers</a>\r\n\r\nAlthough some of the elements of the food hall get good reviews, customers don\'t know what to make of it. This is a classic example of offering so much so that your customers no longer know what you are.\r\n\r\nAnd then there\'s the local pizza chain  with the  catchy jingle: \"something for every one.\" The place is called [name] Pizza and the commercials on TV featuring the jingle show pictures of a burger and fries. Because, of course, if you want a burger and fries you\'d call a pizza delivery place, right?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt is a \"violation\" of the Al Ries and Laura Ries\' 22 laws of branding.','When your customers don\'t know who you are','','inherit','open','open','','3666-revision-v1','','','2018-02-13 10:37:40','2018-02-13 15:37:40','',3666,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3666-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3668,4,'2018-02-13 13:26:23','2018-02-13 18:26:23','This morning, I came across an article on <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/\" target=\"_blank\">EaterDC</a> about the new Isabella Eatery food hall at Tyson\'s Galleria in McLean, Virginia: <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/2018/2/12/17004800/isabella-eatery-good-news-bad-news\" target=\"_blank\">Gargantuan Isabella Eatery is Confusing Customers</a>.  It seems  that although some of the elements of the food hall get good reviews for quality and design, customers don\'t know what to make of  the whole thing.  It seems that Isabella Eatery is offering so much that its customers no longer know what Isabella stands for.  (Some background: Mike Isabella was a contestant on Top Chef. Later he went on to open up Graffiato, an Italian restaurant in Washington, DC and later a Italian sandwich shop called G by Mike Isabella. He then expanded into Greek food with three Kapnos restaurants, and then into Spanish food with Arroz. He heads up a company called Mike Isabella Concepts, which also operates a French restaurant, a Mexican restaurant and the aforementioned food hall.)\r\n\r\nAnd then there\'s the local pizza chain  with the  catchy jingle: \"something for every one.\" The place is called [name] Pizza, and its current TV commercials show pictures of a burger and fries. Because, of course, if you want a burger and fries you\'d call a pizza delivery place, right?\r\n\r\nWhen you seek to please everyone by offering tons of choices, you end up pleasing no one. Or as the famous saying goes, jack of all trades, master of none.\r\n\r\nIn terms of branding and marketing, when you offer so many choices (and in Isabella\'s case, cuisines and restaurants) you are violating the first two of <em>The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding</em> by Al Ries and Laura Ries. The first law says that your brand loses its power when you expand your scope, and the second, which really is the inverse of the first, is that having more focus strengthens your brand.\r\n\r\nA strong brand is focused, a weak brand is not. It seems to me that Mike Isabella is expanding at the expense of his brand. And the pizza place? Well I don\'t think it would be anyone\'s first choice for pizza <em>or</em> for burgers.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYour brand is your mark of distinction. How well are you communicating it? If you need help with your branding, check out my new<a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\" target=\"_blank\"> Brand Identity Kit. </a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When your customers don\'t know who you are','','inherit','open','open','','3666-revision-v1','','','2018-02-13 13:26:23','2018-02-13 18:26:23','',3666,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3666-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3669,4,'2018-02-13 13:29:04','2018-02-13 18:29:04','This morning, I came across an article on <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/\" target=\"_blank\">EaterDC</a> about the new Isabella Eatery food hall at Tyson\'s Galleria in McLean, Virginia: <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/2018/2/12/17004800/isabella-eatery-good-news-bad-news\" target=\"_blank\">Gargantuan Isabella Eatery is Confusing Customers</a>.  It seems  that although some of the elements of the food hall get good reviews for quality and design, customers don\'t know what to make of  the whole thing.  It seems that Isabella Eatery is offering so much that its customers no longer know what Isabella stands for.  (Some background: Mike Isabella was a contestant on Top Chef. Later he went on to open up Graffiato, an Italian restaurant in Washington, DC and later a Italian sandwich shop called G by Mike Isabella. He then expanded into Greek food with three Kapnos restaurants, and then into Spanish food with Arroz. He heads up a company called Mike Isabella Concepts, which also operates a French restaurant, a Mexican restaurant and the aforementioned food hall.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Something for every one?</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd then there\'s the local pizza chain  with the  catchy jingle: \"something for every one.\" The place is called [name] Pizza, and its current TV commercials show pictures of a burger and fries. Because, of course, if you want a burger and fries you\'d call a pizza delivery place, right?\r\n\r\n<strong>Jack of all trades, master brander of none</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you seek to please everyone by offering tons of choices, you end up pleasing no one.\r\n\r\nIn terms of branding and marketing, when you offer so many choices (and in Isabella\'s case, cuisines and restaurants) you are violating the first two of <em>The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding</em> by Al Ries and Laura Ries. The first law says that your brand loses its power when you expand your scope, and the second, which really is the inverse of the first, is that having more focus strengthens your brand.\r\n\r\nA strong brand is focused, a weak brand is not. It seems to me that Mike Isabella is expanding at the expense of his brand. And the pizza place? Well I don\'t think it would be anyone\'s first choice for pizza <em>or</em> for burgers.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYour brand is your mark of distinction. How well are you communicating it? If you need help with your branding, check out my new<a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\" target=\"_blank\"> Brand Identity Kit. </a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When your customers don\'t know who you are','','inherit','open','open','','3666-revision-v1','','','2018-02-13 13:29:04','2018-02-13 18:29:04','',3666,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3666-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3670,4,'2018-02-13 13:30:59','2018-02-13 18:30:59','This morning, I came across an article on <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/\" target=\"_blank\">EaterDC</a> about the new Isabella Eatery food hall at Tyson\'s Galleria in McLean, Virginia: <a href=\"https://dc.eater.com/2018/2/12/17004800/isabella-eatery-good-news-bad-news\" target=\"_blank\">Gargantuan Isabella Eatery is Confusing Customers</a>.  It seems  that although some of the elements of the food hall get good reviews for quality and design, customers don\'t know what to make of  the whole thing.  It seems that Isabella Eatery is offering so much that its customers no longer know what Isabella stands for.  (Some background: Mike Isabella was a contestant on Top Chef. Later he went on to open up Graffiato, an Italian restaurant in Washington, DC and later a Italian sandwich shop called G by Mike Isabella. He then expanded into Greek food with three Kapnos restaurants, and then into Spanish food with Arroz. He heads up a company called Mike Isabella Concepts, which also operates a French restaurant, a Mexican restaurant and the aforementioned food hall.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Something for every one?</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd then there\'s the local pizza chain  with the catchy jingle that says it offers \"something for every one.\" The place is called [name] Pizza, and its current TV commercials show pictures of a burger and fries. Because, of course, if you want a burger and fries you\'d call a pizza delivery place, right?\r\n\r\n<strong>Jack of all trades, master (brander) of none</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you seek to please everyone by offering tons of choices, you end up pleasing no one.\r\n\r\nIn terms of branding and marketing, when you offer so many choices (and in Isabella\'s case, cuisines and restaurants) you are violating the first two of <em>The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding</em> by Al Ries and Laura Ries. The first law says that your brand loses its power when you expand your scope, and the second, which really is the inverse of the first, is that having more focus strengthens your brand.\r\n\r\nA strong brand is focused, a weak brand is not. It seems to me that Mike Isabella is expanding at the expense of his brand. And the pizza place? Well I don\'t think it would be anyone\'s first choice for pizza <em>or</em> for burgers.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYour brand is your mark of distinction. How well are you communicating it? If you need help with your branding, check out my new<a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\" target=\"_blank\"> Brand Identity Kit. </a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When your customers don\'t know who you are','','inherit','open','open','','3666-revision-v1','','','2018-02-13 13:30:59','2018-02-13 18:30:59','',3666,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3666-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3672,4,'2018-02-15 09:53:11','2018-02-15 14:53:11','In case you\'ve missed a newsletter, just check this archive:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/51a8bb\" target=\"_blank\">February 2018</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/4dd82b\">November 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2017\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/391dca\" target=\"_blank\">September 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/45625a\" target=\"_blank\">June 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/75c3f9\" target=\"_blank\">April 2017</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/792b39\" target=\"_blank\">December 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a051e8\" target=\"_blank\">October 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"August 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/359a88\" target=\"_blank\">August 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d841f7\" target=\"_blank\">June 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2016 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/a50a67\" target=\"_blank\">March 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/d7ed27\" target=\"_blank\">January 2016</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/987fe6\" target=\"_blank\">November 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"September 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/2f17a6\" target=\"_blank\">September 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f0dc46\" target=\"_blank\">June 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/83c206\" target=\"_blank\">March 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2015 newsletter\" href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/594ec5\" target=\"_blank\">January 2015</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/p/9a6295?fe=1&amp;pact=26384901049\" target=\"_blank\">November 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/f95d35\" target=\"_blank\">September 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://madmimi.com/s/c3e405\" target=\"_blank\">July 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://mad.ly/3625c4\" target=\"_blank\">April 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"February newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/dc2584\" target=\"_blank\">February 2014</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"December 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/bb9454\" target=\"_blank\">December 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"October 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/f27424\" target=\"_blank\">October 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"July 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/eb30f3\" target=\"_blank\">July 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"May 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/9003c3\" target=\"_blank\">May 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"March 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/d82a93\" target=\"_blank\">March 2013</a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"January 2013 newsletter\" href=\"http://mad.ly/a12873\" target=\"_blank\">January 2013</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Newsletters','','inherit','open','open','','2509-revision-v1','','','2018-02-15 09:53:11','2018-02-15 14:53:11','',2509,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/2509-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3675,4,'2018-02-22 10:39:05','2018-02-22 15:39:05','Are you a spy or a spying organization? If so, this post does not apply to you. You definitely want to keep secrets, and be known for your secrecy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Secretive is <em>not</em> a great attribute for non-spy organizations</strong>\r\n\r\nHowever, in general, most businesses should not aim to be known as secretive. And let\'s be clear, I am not talking about being known as an organization that keeps its customer information private and confidential. That\'s a good attribute. I am talking about organizations that don\'t tell you stuff you need to know, like how much things cost or whether pricing has changed. Or what the return/refund policy is. Or who to contact if something is wrong.\r\n\r\n<strong>Changing prices is not something you should be secretive about</strong>\r\n\r\nThere\'s a yoga studio I had been going to most of last year. I was taking a noon class (perfect for my schedule) known as \"value vinyasa\" because it cost $12 instead of the usual $20 (perfect for my budget). I missed a couple classes due to vacation, and when I went to check the schedule when I returned, I noticed that the noon class I had been taking is now known as \"vinyasa flow.\" In the pricing section of the studio\'s website there\'s no mention of the \"value\" classes. The studio sends a weekly newsletter and there was no mention of the change. The value classes had been very quietly (secretively) eliminated.  Does the studio owner think we won\'t notice?\r\n\r\nThere\'s a hiking group I belong to on Meetup.com. The group had been charging $2 for each hike as a way to ensure attendance (people tend to show up for something they\'ve paid for), and to cover the costs of running the group. Without any announcement, the group began charging $5 per hike. There was a lot of questions and outrage posted by  members on the Meetup\'s discussion boards. There was an answer saying that this hiking group is really a nonprofit that now supports various causes, and that the fees were going to be used to raise money for said causes. That was the end of the discussion, and the discussion boards were disabled. The group leader could have easily sent a note to all the members explaining the price hike and the reason for it, but chose to be secretive and not forthcoming. She also chose to shut down discussion, to tamp down discontent with the sudden, unexplained policy change. This is not a good luck for this group, and I have noticed that where hikes used to get filled up really quickly, there are now several spots open.\r\n\r\n<strong>Being secretive, and imposing changes without notification, could backfire.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf your organization is planning to make a change that will affect  your customer\'s interaction with you, you must make sure to announce it. Being secretive may seem like a good way to avoid customer discontent, but it actually increases it. Being secretive communicates to your customer that you are hiding something, or not being upfront, or just don\'t care to keep your customer up to date.\r\n\r\nIn my case, I have stopped going to that yoga studio because I want to pay less than $20 per class, and because I think the studio is not well run. I usually don\'t do hikes until the weather is warmer, but I think I will look for other hiking groups that are more upfront about their policies.\r\n\r\nBeing secretive can cost you customers. Most people value transparency and honesty. If you are being secretive, you are not being transparent or honest. You are hiding something or perhaps you are just being thoughtless in not letting your customers know your policies, costs, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s the bottom line: when you are being secretive, you are not communicating.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Secretive is a good brand attribute for a spy','','publish','open','open','','secretive-is-a-good-brand-attribute-for-a-spy','','','2018-02-22 10:39:05','2018-02-22 15:39:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3675',0,'post','',0),(3697,4,'2018-03-28 10:17:48','2018-03-28 14:17:48','Do you always start your day with a extra-big mugful of coffee like I do? If so, you\'ll appreciate just how terrible it is to start your day with a bad cup of coffee. A cup of coffee that lacks the delicious aroma of perfectly roasted coffee beans. A cup of coffee that just tastes awful.\r\n\r\nA bad cup of coffee just gets your day off to a bad start, and for that I blame myself. You see, I had just finished a package of coffee and needed a replacement ASAP (it is a DEFCON 5 situation around here if there is no coffee).  Normally, I buy my coffee at  Trader Joe\'s but I had forgotten to do so during my weekly shopping trip.  And so I found myself shopping in a gourmet store for something else, and thought I would pick up  a brand of coffee that I enjoy (and for which I am willing to pay a little extra).  Apparently, this store no longer carries that brand. They did have another brand that I have tried in the past, but I didn\'t feel like paying the gourmet store price for it.\r\n\r\nSo I made a very big mistake:  I grabbed a bag of coffee simply because it was cheap. It was not a brand I knew or recognized or had even seen before, but I figured a bag of medium roast Costa Rican coffee from a gourmet store can\'t be all that bad. Well, I figured wrong. It was the worst coffee I have ever bought in my life. It tasted horrible. It had no coffee aroma. It was so bad I actually threw what was left out.\r\n\r\nThen I hustled over to Trader Joe\'s and bought my go-to coffee. Now, my mornings are back to normal.\r\n\r\nA bad cup of coffee taught me never to buy an unknown brand. And it\'s really not about the cost.  You can get very good yet cheap  store-brand coffee like I do at  Trader Joe\'s or at stores like Target,<em> where you trust the brand</em>.\r\n\r\nBrands are quite literally markers that serve to identify. They let you separate one product from all the others like it.  Once you\'ve experienced a brand, you can then look for it if you liked it or avoid it if you didn\'t.  <em>Brands provide a shortcut</em> that consumers can use to know what to buy quickly and without much research.\r\n\r\nRemember this the next time you are out of coffee: Unless it\'s a brand you know already, buying just anything based on price alone will get your morning started on the wrong foot.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDo you know what your brand stands for? Are you communicating it well enough? If not, perhaps you should invest in my new <a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\">Brand Identity Kit</a>. Check it out!','What a bad cup of coffee can teach you','','publish','open','open','','what-a-bad-cup-of-coffee-can-teach-you','','','2018-03-28 10:17:48','2018-03-28 14:17:48','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3697',0,'post','',0),(3678,4,'2018-02-27 11:22:02','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','Hispanic marketing is not just having materials in Spanish','','draft','open','open','','','','','2018-02-27 11:22:02','2018-02-27 16:22:02','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3678',0,'post','',0),(3679,4,'2018-02-27 12:19:35','2018-02-27 17:19:35','A few weeks ago I shared with you a <a title=\"What’s a comma worth?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/whats-a-comma-worth/\" target=\"_blank\">picture of a postcard</a> that advertised a townhouse for sale at more than $51 million. It was an error that would have been caught by a copy editor but likely not by a proofreader. That\'s because a proofreader seeks and corrects mistakes such as typos, misspellings, extra words, repeated words, and other errors. A proofreader does not look at the content, and rarely queries the accuracy of amounts. A copy editor, on the other hand, goes beyond checking for mistakes, and also verifies that sentences are clear and accurate (e.g., the correct address, the right day of the week, the correct amount, etc.).\r\n\r\nSadly, there are many examples of printed materials that needed a copy editor, or at the very least, a proofreader, to check them, and did not get either. My goal is to find these examples and share them with you.\r\n\r\nToday, I was looking at the back of a Sunsweet Prunes package:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3681\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20180227_114313\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nCan you spot the mistake? Here\'s a hint: it\'s subject-verb agreement.\r\n\r\nA grammatically correct sentence would read:\r\n\r\nWe believe making good food choices<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> is</span></strong> critical to treating your body right and living life to its fullest.\r\n\r\nSubject-verb (dis)agreement is a very common mistake. The subject should always match the verb, that is, a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Lots of people have problems identifying the subject. In this case, the writer is not correctly identifying the subject, <em>and</em> is thrown off because he/she sees that a plural word (\"choices\") goes right before the verb.  In this sentence, the plural \"choices\" is not the subject, rather the singular <em>phrase</em> \"making good food choices\" is the subject.\r\n\r\nI am a bit shocked that a large international company would make this type of mistake in its packaging. Perhaps it should hire a copy editor!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you need a copy editor (a new series)','','publish','open','open','','why-you-need-a-copy-editor-a-new-series','','','2018-02-27 12:19:35','2018-02-27 17:19:35','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3679',0,'post','',0),(3692,4,'2018-03-13 13:48:24','2018-03-13 17:48:24','Last week, I had an urgent need to get my roof repaired. We\'d had a severe windstorm in the Washington area that blew off several shingles off my roof, and rain was in the forecast. In order to prevent further damage, I knew I had to get someone to fix this right away.\r\n\r\nFirst, I contacted several friends to ask for their recommendations. This way, I got three names. Then, I went on Consumer Checkbook to check ratings and get more names. I wrote down a few names, and noticed that a couple of the names my friends had provided were on the Checkbook site, and had good ratings. First thing on Monday (I noticed the damage over the weekend), I called all the names I gathered. This is how it went:\r\n\r\n1. Call to roofer listed as good value/good quality in Consumer Checkbook. I spoke to an office person, who added me to a list, with no guarantee or timeline for when I would get someone to fix it. She told me that there were several other calls ahead of me, so she could not tell me when someone would be available, but she did provide me with pricing.\r\n\r\n2. Call to another qualified roofer listed in Consumer Checkbook.  I left a detailed message, which was never answered.\r\n\r\n3. Call to roofer (who was highly rated in Consumer Checkbook), referred to by a close friend. There was no answer and the voice mailbox was full, so I had no way to contact this contractor or leave a message.\r\n\r\n4. Call to roofer referred to by my neighbor who recently had her roof replaced. When I called, I got a message saying that they were overwhelmed with calls, to either leave a message or send an email. I sent an email, to which I received an answer more than a week later, explaining pricing, etc.\r\n\r\n5. Call to handyman referred by a friend. He referred me to a contractor friend of his, a jack of many trades, who answered immediately. This contractor offered to come by to give me an estimate, and then was able to complete the repair the same day.\r\n\r\nNow, this was an unusual situation. Many, many people had damage to their roofs from a strong and unusually long-lasting windstorm. Roofers were slammed.  Yet, their responses showed a lot about how their businesses are run and how they deal with customers.\r\n\r\nI am sure I will have a need for a roofer in the future. Based on my interactions here, I would contact the first and the fourth roofers because they were responsive and I got the sense of professionalism. As to the contractor who actually fixed my roof, I know I have found someone who is punctual and reliable, but he is not primarily a roofer and I would not ask him to do more than repair shingles.\r\n\r\nNot being responsive and not even having a mechanism to leave messages is the sign of a business that is overwhelmed and incapable of dealing with emergencies and not very professional and customer-centric. It\'s better to get a late reply than no reply at all.\r\n\r\n<strong>No response leads to no business.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat can a small, one-person business do to be more responsive? There are several options.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have a website that explains how you respond in emergencies, and which also provides a phone number, email, and contact form to get in touch (in other words, many ways to get in touch).</li>\r\n	<li>Have an online booking system. There are several paid and non paid options out there that allow your customers to book time with you, either for a consultation or a full-fledged appointment.</li>\r\n	<li>Consider having an answering service, virtual assistant, or in-house administrative person so that customers can talk to a person in real time.</li>\r\n	<li>Make time to answer every email, contact request or phone call that you receive, even if it is to say we can\'t help you at this time.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nNo amount of marketing or beautiful website design is going to overcome a lack of responsiveness. If you want business, you have to respond to inquiries. If you don\'t respond, you will not get that business now or in the future.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','No response = no business','','inherit','open','open','','3691-revision-v1','','','2018-03-13 13:48:24','2018-03-13 17:48:24','',3691,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/03/3691-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3681,4,'2018-02-27 11:56:35','2018-02-27 16:56:35','','20180227_114313','','inherit','open','open','','20180227_114313','','','2018-02-27 11:56:35','2018-02-27 16:56:35','',3679,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3682,4,'2018-02-27 12:08:25','2018-02-27 17:08:25','A few weeks ago I shared with you a <a title=\"What’s a comma worth?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/whats-a-comma-worth/\">picture of a postcard</a> that advertised a townhouse for sale at more than $5 million. It was an error that would have been caught by a copy editor but likely not by a proofreader. That\'s because a proofreader seeks and corrects mistakes such as typos, misspellings, extra words, repeated words, and other errors. A proofreader does not look at the content, and rarely queries amounts. A copy editor, on the other hand, goes beyond checking for mistakes, and also verifies that sentences are clear and accurate (e.g., the correct address, the right day of the week, the correct amount, etc.).\r\n\r\nSadly, there are many examples of printed materials that needed a copy editor, or at the very least, a proofreader to check them, and did not get either. My goal is to find these examples and share them with you.\r\n\r\nToday, I was looking at the back of a Sunsweet Prunes package:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3681\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20180227_114313\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nCan you spot the mistake? Here\'s a hint: it\'s subject-verb agreement.\r\n\r\nA grammatically correct sentence would read:\r\n\r\nWe believe making good food choices<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> <em>is</em></span> critical to treating your body right and living life to its fullest.\r\n\r\nSubject-verb (dis)agreement is a very common mistake. The subject should always match the verb, that is, a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Lots of people have problems identifying what the subject is, and further, they are thrown off  when they see a plural (\"food choices\") that goes right before the verb.  In this sentence, the plural \"food choices\" is not the subject, rather the singular \"making good food choices\" is the subject.\r\n\r\nI am truly astounded that a large company would make this type of mistake in their packaging. Someone should hire a copy editor over there!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you need a copy editor (a new series)','','inherit','open','open','','3679-revision-v1','','','2018-02-27 12:08:25','2018-02-27 17:08:25','',3679,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3679-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3683,4,'2018-02-27 12:10:07','2018-02-27 17:10:07','A few weeks ago I shared with you a <a title=\"What’s a comma worth?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/whats-a-comma-worth/\" target=\"_blank\">picture of a postcard</a> that advertised a townhouse for sale at more than $51 million. It was an error that would have been caught by a copy editor but likely not by a proofreader. That\'s because a proofreader seeks and corrects mistakes such as typos, misspellings, extra words, repeated words, and other errors. A proofreader does not look at the content, and rarely queries the accuracy of amounts. A copy editor, on the other hand, goes beyond checking for mistakes, and also verifies that sentences are clear and accurate (e.g., the correct address, the right day of the week, the correct amount, etc.).\r\n\r\nSadly, there are many examples of printed materials that needed a copy editor, or at the very least, a proofreader to check them, and did not get either. My goal is to find these examples and share them with you.\r\n\r\nToday, I was looking at the back of a Sunsweet Prunes package:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3681\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20180227_114313\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nCan you spot the mistake? Here\'s a hint: it\'s subject-verb agreement.\r\n\r\nA grammatically correct sentence would read:\r\n\r\nWe believe making good food choices<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> <em>is</em></span> critical to treating your body right and living life to its fullest.\r\n\r\nSubject-verb (dis)agreement is a very common mistake. The subject should always match the verb, that is, a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Lots of people have problems identifying what the subject is, and further, they are thrown off  when they see a plural (\"food choices\") that goes right before the verb.  In this sentence, the plural \"food choices\" is not the subject, rather the singular \"making good food choices\" is the subject.\r\n\r\nI am truly astounded that a large company would make this type of mistake in their packaging. Someone should hire a copy editor over there!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you need a copy editor (a new series)','','inherit','open','open','','3679-revision-v1','','','2018-02-27 12:10:07','2018-02-27 17:10:07','',3679,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3679-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3684,4,'2018-02-27 12:18:10','2018-02-27 17:18:10','A few weeks ago I shared with you a <a title=\"What’s a comma worth?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/whats-a-comma-worth/\" target=\"_blank\">picture of a postcard</a> that advertised a townhouse for sale at more than $51 million. It was an error that would have been caught by a copy editor but likely not by a proofreader. That\'s because a proofreader seeks and corrects mistakes such as typos, misspellings, extra words, repeated words, and other errors. A proofreader does not look at the content, and rarely queries the accuracy of amounts. A copy editor, on the other hand, goes beyond checking for mistakes, and also verifies that sentences are clear and accurate (e.g., the correct address, the right day of the week, the correct amount, etc.).\r\n\r\nSadly, there are many examples of printed materials that needed a copy editor, or at the very least, a proofreader, to check them, and did not get either. My goal is to find these examples and share them with you.\r\n\r\nToday, I was looking at the back of a Sunsweet Prunes package:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3681\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20180227_114313\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nCan you spot the mistake? Here\'s a hint: it\'s subject-verb agreement.\r\n\r\nA grammatically correct sentence would read:\r\n\r\nWe believe making good food choices<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> <em>is</em></span> critical to treating your body right and living life to its fullest.\r\n\r\nSubject-verb (dis)agreement is a very common mistake. The subject should always match the verb, that is, a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Lots of people have problems identifying the subject. In this case, the writer is not correctly identifying the subject, <em>and</em> is thrown off because he/she sees that a plural word (\"choices\") goes right before the verb.  In this sentence, the plural \"choices\" is not the subject, rather the singular <em>phrase</em> \"making good food choices\" is the subject.\r\n\r\nI am truly astounded that a large company would make this type of mistake in its packaging. Perhaps it should hire a copy editor!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you need a copy editor (a new series)','','inherit','open','open','','3679-revision-v1','','','2018-02-27 12:18:10','2018-02-27 17:18:10','',3679,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3679-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3685,4,'2018-02-27 12:19:35','2018-02-27 17:19:35','A few weeks ago I shared with you a <a title=\"What’s a comma worth?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2017/12/whats-a-comma-worth/\" target=\"_blank\">picture of a postcard</a> that advertised a townhouse for sale at more than $51 million. It was an error that would have been caught by a copy editor but likely not by a proofreader. That\'s because a proofreader seeks and corrects mistakes such as typos, misspellings, extra words, repeated words, and other errors. A proofreader does not look at the content, and rarely queries the accuracy of amounts. A copy editor, on the other hand, goes beyond checking for mistakes, and also verifies that sentences are clear and accurate (e.g., the correct address, the right day of the week, the correct amount, etc.).\r\n\r\nSadly, there are many examples of printed materials that needed a copy editor, or at the very least, a proofreader, to check them, and did not get either. My goal is to find these examples and share them with you.\r\n\r\nToday, I was looking at the back of a Sunsweet Prunes package:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3681\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180227_114313-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20180227_114313\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\nCan you spot the mistake? Here\'s a hint: it\'s subject-verb agreement.\r\n\r\nA grammatically correct sentence would read:\r\n\r\nWe believe making good food choices<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> is</span></strong> critical to treating your body right and living life to its fullest.\r\n\r\nSubject-verb (dis)agreement is a very common mistake. The subject should always match the verb, that is, a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Lots of people have problems identifying the subject. In this case, the writer is not correctly identifying the subject, <em>and</em> is thrown off because he/she sees that a plural word (\"choices\") goes right before the verb.  In this sentence, the plural \"choices\" is not the subject, rather the singular <em>phrase</em> \"making good food choices\" is the subject.\r\n\r\nI am a bit shocked that a large international company would make this type of mistake in its packaging. Perhaps it should hire a copy editor!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you need a copy editor (a new series)','','inherit','open','open','','3679-revision-v1','','','2018-02-27 12:19:35','2018-02-27 17:19:35','',3679,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/02/3679-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3691,4,'2018-03-13 13:49:02','2018-03-13 17:49:02','Last week, I had an urgent need to get my roof repaired. We\'d had a severe windstorm in the Washington area that blew off several shingles off my roof, and rain was in the forecast. In order to prevent further damage, I knew I had to get someone to fix this right away.\r\n\r\nFirst, I contacted several friends to ask for their recommendations. This way, I got three names. Then, I went on Consumer Checkbook to check ratings and get more names. I wrote down a few names, and noticed that a couple of the names my friends had provided were on the Checkbook site, and had good ratings. First thing on Monday (I noticed the damage over the weekend), I called all the names I gathered. This is how it went:\r\n\r\n1. Call to roofer listed as good value/good quality in Consumer Checkbook. I spoke to an office person, who added me to a list, with no guarantee or timeline for when I would get someone to fix it. She told me that there were several other calls ahead of me, so she could not tell me when someone would be available, but she did provide me with pricing.\r\n\r\n2. Call to another qualified roofer listed in Consumer Checkbook.  I left a detailed message, which was never answered.\r\n\r\n3. Call to roofer (who was highly rated in Consumer Checkbook), referred to by a close friend. There was no answer and the voice mailbox was full, so I had no way to contact this contractor or leave a message.\r\n\r\n4. Call to roofer referred to by my neighbor who recently had her roof replaced. When I called, I got a message saying that they were overwhelmed with calls, to either leave a message or send an email. I sent an email, to which I received an answer more than a week later, explaining pricing, etc.\r\n\r\n5. Call to handyman referred by a friend. He referred me to a contractor friend of his, a jack of many trades, who answered immediately. This contractor offered to come by to give me an estimate, and then was able to complete the repair the same day.\r\n\r\nNow, this was an unusual situation. Many, many people had damage to their roofs from a strong and unusually long-lasting windstorm. Roofers were slammed.  Yet, their responses showed a lot about how their businesses are run and how they deal with customers.\r\n\r\nI am sure I will have a need for a roofer in the future. Based on my interactions here, I would contact the first and the fourth roofers because they were responsive and I got the sense of professionalism. As to the contractor who actually fixed my roof, I know I have found someone who is punctual and reliable, but he is not primarily a roofer and I would not ask him to do more than repair shingles.\r\n\r\nNot being responsive and not even having a mechanism to leave messages is the sign of a business that is overwhelmed and incapable of dealing with emergencies and not very professional and customer-centric. It\'s better to get a late reply than no reply at all.\r\n\r\n<strong>No response leads to no business.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat can a small, one-person business do to be more responsive? There are several options.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Have a website that explains how you respond in emergencies, and which also provides a phone number, email, and contact form to get in touch (in other words, many ways to get in touch).</li>\r\n	<li>Have an online booking system. There are several paid and non paid options out there that allow your customers to book time with you, either for a consultation or a full-fledged appointment.</li>\r\n	<li>Consider having an answering service, virtual assistant, or in-house administrative person so that customers can talk to a person in real time.</li>\r\n	<li>Make time to answer every email, contact request or phone call that you receive, even if it is to say we can\'t help you at this time.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nNo amount of marketing or beautiful website design is going to overcome a lack of responsiveness. If you want business, you have to respond to inquiries. If you don\'t respond, you will not get that business now or in the future.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','No response = no business','','publish','open','open','','no-response-no-business','','','2018-03-13 13:49:02','2018-03-13 17:49:02','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3691',0,'post','',0),(3694,4,'2018-03-21 15:55:28','2018-03-21 19:55:28','So many times, people think that by using big words, they sound smarter. After all, people might need to go get a dictionary to look those words up.  Yet, people who do this, often think they know exactly what a word means, when they don\'t. Take for example Chris Cillizza, a political commentator for CNN. Last night, on the Don Lemon show, Cillizza was discussing some of the latest news regarding Donald Trump and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Cillizza thought that the salacious details wouldn\'t matter much to Trump supporters, because, as he put it, \"Trump has never been a model of <em>moral turpitude</em>.\" Nobody corrected him even though what he said was actually the exact opposite of what he meant.\r\n\r\nCillizza was back on the air this morning, talking about the same subject, and repeated the phrase he had used last night, that Trump isn\'t a model of moral turpitude. This time, one of the other panelists questioned the word, but couldn\'t quite find the correct word to use instead.\r\n\r\nWhat Cillizza meant to say is that Trump is not a model of <em>moral rectitude</em>.\r\n\r\nRectitude means righteousness, while turpitude means depravity. They sound similar, and that\'s what tripped Cillizza up. Sadly, nobody else seems to have understood that Cillizza was contradicting himself by using a big word that he clearly did not know.\r\n\r\nNobody can go back and correct the spoken word. However, you can and should fix written work. You can avoid sounding stupid just by getting someone to copy edit your work, and check that the big words you are using are being used correctly.\r\n\r\nP.S. I did tweet Chris Cilizza the correction. I don\'t know if he read it, or whether he cared.','If you want to sound smart, don\'t use big words','','publish','open','open','','if-you-want-to-sound-smart-dont-use-big-words','','','2018-03-21 15:55:28','2018-03-21 19:55:28','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=3694',0,'post','',0),(3695,4,'2018-03-21 15:55:28','2018-03-21 19:55:28','So many times, people think that by using big words, they sound smarter. After all, people might need to go get a dictionary to look those words up.  Yet, people who do this, often think they know exactly what a word means, when they don\'t. Take for example Chris Cillizza, a political commentator for CNN. Last night, on the Don Lemon show, Cillizza was discussing some of the latest news regarding Donald Trump and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Cillizza thought that the salacious details wouldn\'t matter much to Trump supporters, because, as he put it, \"Trump has never been a model of <em>moral turpitude</em>.\" Nobody corrected him even though what he said was actually the exact opposite of what he meant.\r\n\r\nCillizza was back on the air this morning, talking about the same subject, and repeated the phrase he had used last night, that Trump isn\'t a model of moral turpitude. This time, one of the other panelists questioned the word, but couldn\'t quite find the correct word to use instead.\r\n\r\nWhat Cillizza meant to say is that Trump is not a model of <em>moral rectitude</em>.\r\n\r\nRectitude means righteousness, while turpitude means depravity. They sound similar, and that\'s what tripped Cillizza up. Sadly, nobody else seems to have understood that Cillizza was contradicting himself by using a big word that he clearly did not know.\r\n\r\nNobody can go back and correct the spoken word. However, you can and should fix written work. You can avoid sounding stupid just by getting someone to copy edit your work, and check that the big words you are using are being used correctly.\r\n\r\nP.S. I did tweet Chris Cilizza the correction. I don\'t know if he read it, or whether he cared.','If you want to sound smart, don\'t use big words','','inherit','open','open','','3694-revision-v1','','','2018-03-21 15:55:28','2018-03-21 19:55:28','',3694,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/03/3694-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3698,4,'2018-03-28 10:17:04','2018-03-28 14:17:04','Do you always start your day with a extra-big mugful of coffee like I do? If so, you\'ll appreciate just how terrible it is to start your day with a bad cup of coffee. A cup of coffee that lacks the delicious aroma of perfectly roasted coffee beans. A cup of coffee that just tastes awful.\r\n\r\nA bad cup of coffee just gets your day off to a bad start, and for that I blame myself. You see, I had just finished a package of coffee and needed a replacement ASAP (it is a DEFCON 5 situation around here if there is no coffee).  Normally, I buy my coffee at  Trader Joe\'s but I had forgotten to do so during my weekly shopping trip.  And so I found myself shopping in a gourmet store for something else, and thought I would pick up  a brand of coffee that I enjoy (and for which I am willing to pay a little extra).  Apparently, this store no longer carries that brand. They did have another brand that I have tried in the past, but I didn\'t feel like paying the gourmet store price for it.\r\n\r\nSo I made a very big mistake:  I grabbed a bag of coffee simply because it was cheap. It was not a brand I knew or recognized or had even seen before, but I figured a bag of medium roast Costa Rican coffee from a gourmet store can\'t be all that bad. Well, I figured wrong. It was the worst coffee I have ever bought in my life. It tasted horrible. It had no coffee aroma. It was so bad I actually threw what was left out.\r\n\r\nThen I hustled over to Trader Joe\'s and bought my go-to coffee. Now, my mornings are back to normal.\r\n\r\nA bad cup of coffee taught me never to buy an unknown brand. And it\'s really not about the cost.  You can get very good yet cheap  store-brand coffee like I do at  Trader Joe\'s or at stores like Target,<em> where you trust the brand</em>.\r\n\r\nBrands are quite literally markers that serve to identify. They let you separate one product from all the others like it.  Once you\'ve experienced a brand, you can then look for it if you liked it or avoid it if you didn\'t.  <em>Brands provide a shortcut</em> that consumers can use to know what to buy quickly and without much research.\r\n\r\nRemember this the next time you are out of coffee: Unless it\'s a brand you know already, buying just anything based on price alone will get your morning started on the wrong foot.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDo you know what your brand stands for? Are you communicating it well enough? If not, perhaps you should invest in my new <a title=\"Brand Identity Kit\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/services/brand-identity-kit/\">Brand Identity Kit</a>. Check it out!','What a bad cup of coffee can teach you','','inherit','open','open','','3697-revision-v1','','','2018-03-28 10:17:04','2018-03-28 14:17:04','',3697,'http://deborahbrody.com/2018/03/3697-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(3704,5,'2018-04-26 09:05:22','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','Auto Draft','','auto-draft','open','open','','','','','2018-04-26 09:05:22','0000-00-00 00:00:00','',0,'https://deborahbrody.com/?p=3704',0,'post','',0);
