2012

July/August 2012


Show, Don't Tell to Sell
Crotchety English teachers for centuries have admonished their students to "show, don't tell" when writing. For a shorter time period, but with no less verve, creative directors have been urging their advertising and marketing writers to apply this advice to their copy... Read More>>>


Recent Work:  Smart Move>Fargo Moorhead
Fargo-Moorhead is just plain smart. Those of us who been living and doing business here have known this for years. The challenge for the marketing team of Jim B Creative, Shafer PR and FredComm was to build a foundation that would help the Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC make sure out-of-towners know it, too... Read More>>>


Nobody Wants to be A SAP
Send someone an email stating you need something  ASAP, and they're likely to wonder what's gotten your panties into such a bind. "Cheeze, what's HIS problem," she'll say to the guy in the next cubicle over. "We just met on this yesterday and the deadline's not until next week." Thing is, technically speaking, ASAP doesn't mean someone's chomping at the bit, tied up in knots or going koo koo for Cocoa Puffs... Read More>>>


May/June 2012

Build Relationships & Trust With Great Content

We're all in the media business today, like it or not. Our businesses and organizations have websites, and smart ones use blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media to disseminate information and help drive traffic to those sites. The really smart ones go further, executing online Content Marketing strategies to more deeply engage today's Internet- and technology-savvy consumers....
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The Confession of Mr. Brevity

Again and again in The Red Letter, over more than eight years, I've spelled out my philosophy - nay, the very necessity - for concise communication. I've positioned myself as an expert, an accomplished practitioner of less is more. I've preached, postulated and cajoled.... Then, two nights ago at the dinner table, I heard the following spill from my mouth: "Our son has indicated an interest in trying football this fall".... Read More>>>


March/April 2012

Compelling Press Release Headlines: Write 'Em or Lose 'Em

Ten seconds. That's how long time-crunched editors, reporters and website visitors are going to spend with your press release... unless your headline is clear and compelling enough to get them to dive in.

To get them to take the plunge, we need to get as much of the story, or at least as much about the main point, into the headline of your press release as possible. The headline will dictate whether editors or reporters consider using your content. As for website visitors perusing your news online, it may be the only thing they read. We need to use the opportunity to communicate, rather than simply introduce, the message.

So what do some of the "experts" think it takes to write effective press release headlines? Blog posts and online stories by Doug Farrick for the Search Engine Marketing Group, by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, and by Thomas Murrell, an international business consultant and speaker, offer several tips. Here are my favorites from all three.... Read More>>>


January/February 2012 

10 Reasons to Hire FredComm

Small and large companies hire external marketing strategists, creatives and copywriters all the time. They do it for all kinds of reasons, from saving money to effectively managing the time of internal staffs. It makes sense for them; it can make sense for you, too. Here are the top 10 reasons your business or organization should hire FredComm.... Read More>>>