Editing Tips 101: Eliminating Talkisms From Your Writing
We write the way we speak, and that’s not always a good thing! If you’ve ever read an unedited transcript of an interview, you know that it’s natural for us to use filler words in our speech. Most people use [...]
The Engagement Trifecta for the Win: AI for Content Writing, Human Writers, and Editors
I agree with most of my peers that using AI for content creation is an opportunity and a threat. We can’t deny that AI for content writing can research across the internet and synthesize information faster than our human minds [...]
Writing a Memoir From a Journal
Do you have a journal? Have you ever thought about writing your life story? Answering yes to those two surprising questions can set your dream of writing a book into motion! I was recently honored to have the opportunity [...]
What Does a Fractional CMO Do For Your Business?
Recently, I sat on a roundtable panel of the Marketing Leaders Connect (MLC ) networking group. With two other marketing professionals, we discussed everything about fractional CMOs or Chief Marketing Officers, from who they are to what they do and [...]
Design Tips for Writing a Technical Book
I love working in publishing because it is always an adventure! When I was first asked to work with Dr. Madeleine Wallace on her new book, The SEAM Framework: Achieving Organizational Transformation in 4 Steps, I expected the final product [...]
Planning a Website Refresh in 2024
Why Planning a Website Refresh in 2024 is a Good Idea “I like my site, so why do I need a website refresh?” I’ve heard that said before, and the answer is very simple. Websites do not have the lifespan [...]
A Marketer’s Take on HEROic Thought Leadership
Recently, I was proud to be able to collaborate with Melonie Boone, Ph.D. on her thought leadership book, HEROic Leadership: The Secret to Developing Stronger High Performing Teams Using Psychological Capital. Melonie holds a doctorate in organizational behavioral psychology and [...]
What Do I Post on my Business Social Media? Here’s 65 Ideas!
It’s the age-old question of businesses everywhere: What do I put on my business social media? Posting on our personal pages is easy, right? Funny selfies, birthday and anniversary greetings, and great news about our kids, to name a few. [...]
Five Things to Remember When Writing Your Thought Leadership Business Book
Recently, I helped with the creation of a beautiful book, The Golden Five Framework: Harnessing Five Essential Types of Marketing for the 21st Century, by entrepreneur and marketing guru Jackie Camacho-Ruiz. Jackie and I go back. Way back to the [...]
A Content Writer’s Review of ChatGPT
ChatGPT is nothing short of a dirty word among the content writers of today. First of all, what self-respecting content writer would admit to using it? Isn’t that akin to saying ChatGPT can write better than you can? And there’s [...]
The Three Categories of Outside Marketing Consultants
When sales begin to sag or competitors heat up the race, organizations often turn to an outside marketing consultant for help, and with good reason. They bring fresh ideas, proven strategies, and abundant resources to boost their clients’ marketing efforts. [...]
How to Repurpose Content (and Remember to Do It!)
One of the things I’ve learned well while working in marketing all these years is how to repurpose content. A typical rule of thumb is that every piece of original marketing content should have a least five touchpoints, including the [...]
Is Video the Right Medium for Your Personal Message?
When you sit down to write a blog, does your mind ever wander to doing video instead, because of the benefits of using video in marketing? Or when you record a video, do you ever think maybe you should be [...]
Content Marketing for Moving Companies
We like creating content marketing for moving companies because in my experience, movers are good people. So many of them are family-owned, homegrown entrepreneurs who truly care about what they do and the people they serve. It only makes sense [...]
Show Your Business Some Love: Update Your Website!
Your relationship with your website is not unlike your relationship with your spouse or significant other. Sometimes we think everything is perfect, just the way it is. Sometimes we feel like something’s missing. Or things just aren’t going as well [...]
Ten Reasons to Hire a Content Writer
If you are launching a business or want to grow yours, there will probably come a time when you think, “Do I need to hire a content writer? After all, there's ChatGPT..." While it's true that AI will scrape the [...]
The Best Action Words for Press Release Headlines
Recently, Cision released its 2021 State of the Press Release report. It’s a comprehensive analysis of more than 10,000 press releases that the company distributed this year. Within its inviting pages of colorful infographics, we find a summary of the [...]
You and Your Target Market: Why Everyone is NOT Your Customer
The first job of any good entrepreneur is to determine their target market. In other words, discovering who their customer is. But it’s equally important to understand who your customer IS NOT. As a marketing communications expert, always attempting to [...]
Ten Ways to Tweak Your B2B Marketing for Awesome Results
Whenever I receive a call for B2B marketing help, there is an answer to a question that inevitably makes its way into our conversation: why are you changing your marketing NOW? Sometimes, the customer is enlightened and can speak specifically [...]
The Key to Writing a Blog Post with Intention—Your Blog Box
Writing a blog post is one of the many, regular duties a marketing department or entrepreneur performs to serve their product or brand. As a content writer, I regularly help clients with writing their blogs, and when I present them [...]
Editing Guidelines: BIW’s 10 Commandments for Editors
People call me to write and/or edit everything from brief biographies to full-length, published books, and I love it all. There’s just something incredibly satisfying about transforming a piece of writing that’s good (or even not so good) into something [...]
The Pros Speak Out on Building a Website Using WordPress
As a content writer, I would never claim to be an expert on how to build a website using WordPress. My first experience with WordPress was doing a blog, long before I started my business. Since then, I’ve done some [...]
Is Outbound Marketing Dead?
Once upon a time, there was a loud, disruptive, and often annoying type of advertising that was part of what we now call outbound marketing. It interrupted our favorite TV and radio programs. It filled our mailbox with colorful, aggressive [...]
The Secret to Staying Young: The Making of The Nine Lives of Curious Edith
As an editor for Fig Factor Media, I’ve worked with hundreds of authors on autobiographical chapters and full manuscripts. But when I took on the assignment to help a local woman named Edith Vosefski edit her autobiography, I became increasingly [...]
How do you Add Value for Your Clients?
If you’re a service provider of any sort, you may be familiar with the idea of “adding value” for your clients. What does that mean? To me, and to the many organizations and/or entrepreneur/CEO-type leaders I have worked with over [...]