You might be surprised hearing this comment coming from a writer. Ever since my agency copywriting days when I teamed with an art director, I recognized that the copy and design need to be creatively connected—they need to feed off each other in order to communicate the message effectively. They need to be married.

But design is more than the logo. It’s more than where the images are placed. How many graphics to include. Where they should be inserted into the content. Or the layout of the page.

The writer needs to think visually, as well as the designer. How should the copy be set up to emphasize the message? Where can subheads be added—to not only provide a thread for the brand story, but to add white space so that the page has air and is easy to read? What copy should be bold? Would bulleted lists enhance readability? The effectiveness of the message is enhanced by good design—both copy and graphics.

And just as the writer can enhance the design—the designer can enhance the copy. I cannot tell you how many times an art director has come up with a killer headline. In marketing communications, writing and design are inseparable.

Both require a focal point and precision.

4 rules of the road to getting the checkered flag…or a thumbs up for your messaging

1. Stay on track – Each message communicated is an extension of your brand—be consistent
2. Hit the apex – Get to the point—to influence the buy and promote loyalty
3. Focus on where you’re going – Persuade the target to keep reading/ listening—to get results
4. Cross the finish line – Deliver targeted, on-point, action-oriented copy—to tell the brand story

1. Define the marcom strategy – benefits to highlight and channels to use to connect with customers
2. Identify audience/primary markets – the B2B, B2C targets who will buy your product/service/solution and what will make them responsive to a call to action
3. Establish brand identity – who you are, how you’re different from the competition and why a buyer would want to do business with you and your employees (B2E) want to act as brand ambassadors
4. Create targeted, on-point messaging – clear, concise, compelling, consistent copy (C⁵)—I call it C to the 5^th power—a strategic combination that demonstrates the power of words by communicating why your brand is the right choice

As a marketing communications writer, I believe in the power of words. Every brand message that is written must be persuasive. That’s where the power starts. Get one person to take the action communicated in the message—and the clout starts to build. The copy sets the stage for the brand experience.

Over the weekend, I encountered this type of power. I took action from a website brand message and visited “a unique gift store.” Turns out, the brand message delivered on the brand promise: I bought birthday, house, engagement, thank-you and baby gifts—all wrapped. They couldn’t have made it any easier for me.

So what did I do? I got right on their Facebook page and told hundreds of people how great the store is. That’s power. My unique experience in the unique gift store turned me into a brand devoteé—a loyal customer for life.

What it comes down to is this: We all have a fave—a product, service, solution, place—and we all like to tell our friends, colleagues, and even strangers, about it. That’s powerful marketing.

Yes, it does. My clients call me the Dash Queen—to my face. But sometimes I think they may roll their eyes behind my back. I can’t help myself. If a dash or hyphen is incorrectly used in copy that I edit & proofread—I fix it. I know some people don’t care—don’t think it matters. But it does. They are different sizes, after all. So if we ever meet—please don’t tell me you don’t care—it would break my heart.

Em Dash

• Sets off copy when commas do not provide enough emphasis. No spaces on either side. Longest dash. (Two hyphens do not make an em dash.)
  • Sample: The designer understood the message—her concepts were on point.

En Dash

• Substitute for the word “to” or as a separation between a subhead and content. Space on both sides. Shorter than an em dash, longer than a hyphen.
  • Sample: pages 10 – 12
  • Sample: The Right Choice – Using the best creative talent is key.

Hyphen

• Breaks word at the end of a line (hyphenates) or joins words to form compound adjectives or prefixes with root words. Space on right side only for a line break or the first prefix of a two-word prefix construction. Shortest connector.
• Sample: engage-
  ment
• Sample: high-quality writer
• Sample: pre- and post-contract

Any new converts to my “Use the Right Dash at the Right Time” campaign?

And you can build a brand story. It’s not magic. It really can be done. And it’s not fiction—it’s a story telling the facts, crafted to communicate a marketing message to get results. A story designed to increase revenue.

What word best describes your organization? How can you catch the interest of the audience you want to reach? It’s not a magic trick—it’s a strategy.

Today’s word is: Value. 

Creating Value for Customers

It comes down to three things.

The offer—with the best cost-to-value transparent pricing.

The company—with the best products and services for the value.

And the people—who consistently deliver valuable service.

But it goes beyond what you can quantify. The added value is in the quality of a customer relationship—one that is focused on your needs and goals. It’s all about working with people who place you front and center. People who recognize that the value they bring to the table is priceless.

It’s about working with people you can trust. That’s what you get with a value-based partnership.

Pick the best word to communicate your brand story. Then pick the best writer to deliver your on-point messaging.

We’ve all seen these points before—written this way, presented another way, but nevertheless the points you need to pay attention to—if you want to make an impact with your brand messaging. The bottom line is always increased revenue—through sales, donations, increased membership or subscribers.

1. Understand the go-to-market strategy.
2. Know your objectives.
3. Identify pain points.
4. Research the competition.
5. Target your audience.
6. Find the right hook.
7. Create a strong, engaging headline.
8. Write clear and compelling copy.
9. Tailor the content to fit the channel.
10. Get the reader to act.

A well-defined, well-positioned, strong brand influences employees, clients, and investors to think of a company in terms of positive brand attributes: quality, dependability, trust, reliability, value—purchase influencers. It is the reason why people evangelize a company.

Brand building is a process that establishes and solidifies an emotional and passionate relationship with the brand through marketing communications & corporate identity. Branding influences virtually every activity in the enterprise with each contact touchPoint. The most important champion of a brand’s meaning and promise is a company’s employees.

A strategy for a strong brand requires that the right resources be in place to successfully implement a holistic (internal and external) integrated marketing communications brand campaign. The right resources include leadership, management, and creative services. Maintaining and reinforcing a brand is labor intensive and requires daily attention to detail by brand marketing and creative experts. A brand is a living entity that must be continually nurtured with creative leadership and management or the brand becomes static and loses its positioning—which translates into decreased revenue.

Every organization’s mission should be to ensure that the marketing communications, brand messaging & corporate identity are consistently implemented—reaching every touchPoint through a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, tactical solutions, & creative Messaging with a Point.

Making your point is not only important when writing—it’s also important when speaking. Here’s a case in point.

At a conference on the art of communication, I was selected to take on a lead role in a group exercise. The exercise was set up like this: I sat at a table and had a small, manila envelope that contained colorforms, which are bright, multi-colored, geometric shapes. Half of the remaining conference participants stood in front of me with instructions for how to arrange the colorforms into a specified shape. The other half of the participants stood behind me.

The front group had the task of explaining to me how to arrange the colorforms to build a house. One person at a time provided directions. I followed each set of directions and got nowhere. The group behind me would make disparaging remarks about why I wasn’t getting it and tried to tell me what to do. I continued to follow all the different directions that I was given and never got flustered; but, alas, no house. While I was trying, I was continually harassed for not being successful at the task, but did not respond to the bullying.

Finally, one of the participants in the front group gave me the right directions and the house was built immediately. The back group was surprised to see how quickly it could be done.

There were several points to this exercise: 1) You may think you’re communicating clearly when in fact you are not. 2) It is the communicator’s responsibility to effectively deliver a message so that it is understood with no questions. 3) The recipient shouldn’t be blamed for taking a wrong action, if the message isn’t clear.

How many times a day do we think we’re clear when trying to get our point across, but we’re really not?

Every day I see editing and proofreading requests come through this way. But the fact of the matter is that in most cases, documents need so much more before being published. It’s not only typos and grammar that need to be addressed—it’s also organization, format, clarity and style. And from my point of view, this is part of the writing process. Writing that includes an editing cycle is a best practice.

A good editor will identify any issues that detract from the understanding of the message. Even if asked to do only technical editing, an editor should point out any copy concerns that crop up during the read. In many cases, what the author thinks they’re saying isn’t crystal clear—and clarity is where the sale is made. When a writer is their own editor, they just need to step away for a bit before executing the edit.

The art of editing maintains the integrity of the original message, while enhancing the delivery of the message.