How Retailers Are Grabbing The Reins On Social Media Marketing

Social media keeps getting better and better. These days, lots of retailers are jumping on the social media bandwagon to keep up with the times – and, to get consumers in their doors and to jumpstart sales, they’re offering some great deals. If you’re a retail store and want to get some great ideas on how to use social media in your marketing strategy, check out some of these:

Groupon.com

Groupon logo.Image via WikipediaCollective buying power takes a new twist with Groupon.com: All you have to do is sign up for their daily emails in your city. You’ll receive one coupon for restaurants, shopping, Continue reading “How Retailers Are Grabbing The Reins On Social Media Marketing”

New Ways for Writers to Think About Creativity … and Why You Should Give Yourself a Break

It’s sometimes hard for clients and copywriters alike to remember the writing process: It’s one part hard work (sweat on the keyboard), one part art.

And sometimes, the “art” part can be hard to pin down. You’re blocked, distracted. You’ve had a bad morning, you’re stressed out about something … but you still need to make your deadlines. You’ll find that some days you may show up for work, and the creativity just isn’t there (this happens more than you think!).

Now, listen to what Elizabeth Gilbert has to say. She’s the bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love (which I haven’t read). This speech is long (about 20 minutes), but very interesting – she talks about the history of writers and artists, the preponderance of mental illness and neurosis in creative types, and offers a new perspective on the creative process – and why we should all give ourselves a break from time to time.


For this writer, I really appreciated Elizabeth Gilbert’s analysis. Creative genius is an elusive thing – it comes at certain times, and never when you expect it (at the gym, Continue reading “New Ways for Writers to Think About Creativity … and Why You Should Give Yourself a Break”

Compose vs. Comprise?

Here’s just one more example of two words that are often used interchangeably – and incorrectly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen something like:

Our IT department is comprised of five full-time experts
The book is comprised of three sections

The compose key on a DEC LK201 keyboard is the...
Image via Wikipedia

It’s a widespread assumption that “compose” and “comprise” basically mean the same thing. But that’s not quite true:
Continue reading “Compose vs. Comprise?”

Bring vs. Take. You only think you know how to use these.

So, here’s the thing. You probably think you know how to use bring and take. I bring books here. I take books there. Right? Easy smeasy.

You “take baby wipes with you” to the store, because you are at the house and you are going to go to the store. Now, if your wife is already at the store, she would say “bring the baby wipes with you to the store,” because she is at the store and you are bringing the baby wipes to her. Bring indicates you are carrying something in the direction of the speaker. Take indicates that you are carrying something “over there.”

Take => there. Bring => here.

Most people would get those usages right.

But, it turns out to get a lot more complicated, pretty quickly. For example, do you say, “I’ll take books home from the library”? Or do you say, “I’ll bring books home from the library?”

Huh. Well, it turns out, it depends on where you are when you’re talking and/or where you imagine yourself to be in the future…


Continue reading “Bring vs. Take. You only think you know how to use these.”

We Are Not Hiring And We Do Not Employ Missy Herb – Job Application Scam Report.

There is someone who is “spoofing” our email address (or at least that’s what my website host tells me). They are pretending to be us, sending out emails saying that we’re hiring and then asking people to fill out a rather suspicious form. My host tells me that the emails are not coming from our server. Therefore there is — to my utmost frustration – apparently nothing we can do about it.

So, I’m posting this to try to give people a heads up…

If you have received an email like the one below, this is not us.

PLEASE do not respond. This is a scam:

Thanks for sending us your info. I really like your style and your resume looks great. I’ve forwarded your information over to Jessica who is the director of our web content division. She will be handling your application from this point forward. Before you get started with Jessica, I will need you to complete our job application found here:

https://thewritersforhire.wufoo.com/forms/job-application/

Once completed, you can expect to hear from Jessica within 24-48 hours with a final decision on your employment. Good Luck!

Kind Regards,
Missy Herb
Director of Human Resources
[email protected]
The Writers For Hire

home

If anyone has any suggestions on how to stop these people, or who to report this to, I would be greatly appreciative.

Personal Brands: Be Yourself or Create Yourself?

Marketing is about image – and in this world of social media marketing, personal branding is paramount. But how do you walk the line between being yourself and creating yourself? It’s a question that’s been plaguing marketers (check out this blog on businessgrow.com).

And you know what? No one wants to buy into another slick marketing campaign – there’s real value by just marketing you as you.

Being Yourself

Good marketing copy reflects a true representation of you. Don’t hold anything back – really think about what defines YOU. Are you brutally honest? A real nice guy (or girl)? Smart and aggressive?

By being yourself in copy, you’re more likely to attract customers that are a good match for you. Like attracts like Continue reading “Personal Brands: Be Yourself or Create Yourself?”

How to Remember to Compliment or Complement

Ok, so I admit. I always have to look this one up. I finally figured out a way to remember it.

When you complEment something, you are complEting it. As in, your bracelet complements your blouse.

When you compliment someone, you’re just saying something nice about them.

Now, if I can just figure out a way to remember principle vs. principal….

Got any good tricks to share on remembering homophones?