We all have our pet peeves – for example, everyone knows how I feel about corporate speak. Here’s another one to add to the list – bad email etiquette. Why is it that some of the warmest, intelligent, most articulate people I know construct some of the coldest, illegible emails?
Yes, I understand you’re busy. We all are. But there’s no good excuse for sending emails that come across as frantic, sloppy or downright rude. The good news is that there are a few easy, simple things you can do to make your emails more readable and personable. A few suggestions:
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Marketing teams don’t spend all day thinking about how to motivate employees, but the internal communications team does.
BrandWeek recently published an article detailing how Pepsi unveiled its latest ad campaign to its employees first. The article is full of interesting tidbits about how the marketing team “invertised” (their term, not mine) to employees via nifty posters, webcasts and a photo contest. What’s missing is any mention of the internal communications team that was surely involved in the effort and will continue to toil away at motivating employees long after everyone has moved on to the next campaign, and probably with little recognition.
So it goes for the internal communications team. Well, not always, but I did have a ... Read more »
Then join me in perusing this overwhelming roundup of examples of companies who are using social media for marketing and public relations activities. Happy Friday!
Further reading: Social Media Case Studies Super List
Twitter: @lizkelly
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Want to know my favorite Twitter discovery of late? All my favorite characters from “Mad Men”have Twitter accounts. Peggy Olson, Betty and Don Draper, Roger Sterling and even wanna-be novelist Ken Cosgrove can be found online tweeting about advertising, household chores, saucy new secretaries and all other aspects of the fictional 1960s world they inhabit.
Here’s where the story gets more interesting: the characters are maintained by fans of the show, not AMC (the network that airs Mad ... Read more »
The one incontrovertible truth about this era: Only creativity and aggressive innovation – in the face of hardships and layoffs and seriously tough choices – will fuel a turnaround.
“The one incontrovertible truth about this era: Only creativity and aggressive innovation – in the face of hardships and layoffs and seriously tough choices – will fuel a turnaround.” — Robert Safian, Fast Company editor
The latest issue of Fast Company includes their annual list of the most innovative companies - a refreshing burst of inspiration in comparison to the relentless barrage of miserable news we’re receiving everywhere else.
You may have noticed that the Brilliant Blog hasn’t tackled the grim economic situation we currently face, and that’s no accident. First, there are plenty of people who are already dissecting the situation to death, so there’s no need for me to pile on to it. But more importantly, fear creates ... Read more »
In honor of the Facebook 25 Things lists, here’s a great collection of 25 tips for keeping your writing concise, courtesy of Poynter Online: 25 Non-Random Things About Writing Short
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If we don’t have something original to say, we won’t.
“There’s a phrase in the culture, ‘we need to take note of,’ ‘we need to weigh in on.’ That’s going away. If we don’t have something original to say, we won’t. The drill of chasing the week’s news to add a couple of hard-fought new details is not sustainable.” — Newsweek editor Jon Meacham on why the magazine is planning to shift its layout and content to focus on commentary and in-depth analysis vs. attempting to cover current events
The new format launches in May. Further reading: Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit Smaller Audience
Twitter @lizkelly
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Here’s a great article with a few suggestions on how to write for the web – including one from yours truly: Web Writing Tips from Pro Bloggers and Internet Writers
Twitter: @lizkelly
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“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” — Charles Darwin
Happy birthday, Mr. Darwin, and two snaps in agreement.
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Maybe. Don Reisinger, a CNET blogger, discusses how the internet is destroying his ability to communicate clearly, and introduces a few new shorthand terms I wasn’t familiar with, like “FTW.” I also learned how to pronounce LMAO (hint: sounds like a deceased Chinese leader).
Further reading: How the web is killing my ability to communicate
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