The HemingWAY

It's December, and the focus this issue is on a larger than life icon with a white beard.

Of course, we're talking about Ernest Hemingway.

We're also talking about two, maybe three clients of mine who'd like to start their own e-zine, and may be incorporating my writing/editing assistance.

So, to help them out, I'm recommending they heed the principles of simple, yet effective writing, as exemplified by "Papa."

Welcome to the last edition of 2010's Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

Blogger Brian Clark, in his "Copyblogger" site,
( http://www.copyblogger.com/ernest-hemingway-top-5-tips-for-writing-well/ )    talks up the merits of writing for marketing purposes -- and let's face it, under the veneer of an entertaining newsletter, that should be the underlying function of an e-zine -- in a way that's, simply, easy to read.

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Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips For Writing Well

Who better?

Many business people faced with the task of writing for marketing purposes are quick to say:

Hey, I’m no Hemingway!

But really, who better than Hemingway to emulate? Rather than embracing the flowery prose of the literati, he chose to eschew obfuscation at every turn and write simply and clearly.

So let’s see what Ernest can teach us about effective writing.

1. Use short sentences.

Hemingway was famous for a terse minimalist style of writing that dispensed with flowery adjectives and got straight to the point. In short, Hemingway wrote with simple genius.

Perhaps his finest demonstration of short sentence prowess was when he was challenged to tell an entire story in only 6 words:

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

2. Use short first paragraphs.

See opening.

3. Use vigorous English.

Here’s David Garfinkel’s take on this one:

It’s muscular, forceful. Vigorous English comes from passion, focus and intention. It’s the difference between putting in a good effort and TRYING to move a boulder… and actually sweating, grunting, straining your muscles to the point of exhaustion… and MOVING the freaking thing!

4. Be positive, not negative.

Since Hemingway wasn’t the cheeriest guy in the world, what does he mean by be positive? Basically, you should say what something is rather than what it isn’t.

This is what Michel Fortin calls using up words:

By stating what something isn’t can be counterproductive since it is still directing the mind, albeit in the opposite way. If I told you that dental work is painless for example, you’ll still focus on the word “pain” in “painless.”

• Instead of saying “inexpensive,” say “economical,”

• Instead of saying “this procedure is painless,” say “there’s little discomfort” or “it’s relatively comfortable,”

• And instead of saying “this software is error-free” or “foolproof,” say “this software is consistent” or “stable.”

5. Never have only 4 rules.

Actually, Hemingway did only have 4 rules for writing, and they were those he was given as a cub reporter at the Kansas City Star in 1917. But, as any web writer knows, having only 4 rules will never do.

So, in order to have 5, I had to dig a little deeper to get the most important of Hemingway’s writing tips of all:

“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit,” Hemingway confided to F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1934. “I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.”

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Thanks for your readership this past year. Happy Holidays and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2011.

Joel Kweskin

http://www.jdkmarketing.biz/
704.846.4835 office
704.575.8850 mobile
Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving month. As such, I thought I'd indulge my prerogative to fashion this column in a "not your usual" way and reflect, for once, on the professional side of things for which I am thankful.


I'm thankful for:

* The independence to be my own boss. And to work at a creative craft that can certainly be enervating...but enriching as well, as I help clients put a public "profile" on their businesses.

* The clients themselves, a virtual United Nations of personalities -- English, French, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Lebanese, South African --from whom I've learned something about their former cultures along with their equally diverse and varied businesses.

* The scope of work I've been able to do for them -- branding, logo design, corporate identity, print collateral, video, TV and radio commercials, publicity, websites -- to make my contributions all the more personally fulfilling.

* The camaraderie that comes with teamwork, as I and graphic designers, photographers, printers, videographers, web designers and other creative industry professionals build marketing programs to assist clients in pursuing their own dreams of success.

* The reach that technology affords all us small businesspeople, so that we may be competitive in a reasonable manner with our larger, more established business brethren; technology such as through various Social Media outlets as well as this E-zine you're reading...a great way, I've found, to stay top of mind with clients, prospects and colleagues.

* The opportunities afforded by living and working in a great mid-size city (that one hopes doesn't get too much bigger) so that it remains a manageable and embracing place for entrepreneurs and small businesses to succeed and grow.

* The same city that likes to have fun as well as put its shoulder to the wheel, so that there is additional opportunity, for instance, to assist party and event planners with a product as uniquely entertaining and customized as...caricatures. The proverbial "other hat" worn by yours truly:

http://www.cv-vision.com/ovse/jkweskin/

* And finally, a father who paved the creative way for me by being one of the authentic Mad Men -- an illustrator, copywriter, creative director -- I looked up to for guidance, support, perspective...and the genetic passing along of verbal and artistic capabilities.

For all this, and more, I am thankful this Thanksgiving.

See you again the first Tuesday of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza month...


Joel Kweskin

http://www.jdkmarketing.biz/
704.846.4835 office
704.575.8850 mobile
Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar

In the dizzy marketing world of social media, Hi-Def TV commercials, YouTube self-promo videos, over-the-top PR campaigns, digitally animated billboards and glitzy special events, there's one approach that always seems to get short shrift.

This is a great story, published recently in The New York Times, edited here for brevity sake. It makes the case, at least in one person's marketing campaign, for considering that most basic of promotional formats: a headline, a visual and a simple message, printed on one side of an 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet.

As Rod Serling might have said: "Submitted for your approval...the humble flier."

Welcome to the October edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

"Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar...and How to Build a Brand"

For nearly 15 years, Dan Smith has plastered New York with fliers promoting his guitar lessons. And in the process, has become a cult icon -- and successful entrepreneur. Why even John Mayer is taking notice.

By PATRICK SAUER

Anybody who has ever set foot in a Manhattan coffee joint, bodega, or laundromat will recognize the following exhortation:

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar.

For those of you outside New York, these are the simple words seen on ubiquitous fliers that have enabled Dan Smith to follow his musical muse and become Gotham's most widely known guitar teacher. By combining the basic tools of paper, printer and photocopier, with a free introductory lesson, Dan Smith has created a brand that keeps him flush with 20 to 30 students at a time, soaking in his relaxed go-at-your-own-pace approach to teaching guitar. Here's our Q&A:

When did the flier campaign start?

I started teaching full time around 1996. I had been fliering heavily to get to a point to be solely a teacher, but they weren't the same ones you see today. The fliers have evolved. I put myself on the flier in 2003, but people say they've seen my face for 20 years. We all have exaggerated perceptions of things.

Did they always have the simple "Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar" slogan?

Some form of that. I wanted to be as simple and straightforward as possible, but also set myself apart by having something that nobody could copy, like my name and face. Nobody can out-me me.

They seem to be everywhere. How often do you put up fliers?

They seem to be everywhere, but there are large parts of the city I don't flier. I am only one man wearing out shoe leather. I hang them whenever I can, on an ongoing basis. It's a bit of a dilemma because it works, which means I'm teaching, but then I don't have time to put up fliers. It's a nice problem to have.

Where do you put them up?

Wherever anyone can see them. I've been told fliers have been seen in Brooklyn even though I have never put one up there. People hang them for me out of their own enthusiasm, I guess. Some storeowners don't want the fliers, but others want them because it's a conversation piece, and I've been told it's a "stamp of approval" that makes a new business legitimate. All I want is a good spot.

The fliers definitely have a cult following.

It's got a strange life to it. There's a legion of blogs out there, John Mayer copied them, and people have posted a bunch of YouTube videos. Generally speaking, the reactions are positive. If nobody were paying attention, I wouldn't be teaching.

What is it specifically about the Dan Smith fliers?

That's an easy one -- the fact that they're everywhere. I'm consistent, and people know that this isn't a lark. I'm creating a brand. Everybody knows Coke, but it never stops advertising. Week-in week-out, month-in month-out, year-in year-out, I'm out there. The fliers penetrate people's perceptions, so all kinds of mythology have grown up around them. Consciously or subconsciously, people think of every other one they've ever seen, even if it's partially covered up.

How does it turn into sales?

Like any business, I get a lot of tire-kickers. Unlike other businesses, I probably get a lot more drunk and stoned teenagers leaving long rambling messages. Fortunately, I get a lot of people interested in playing guitar. It's not a school, which appeals to people who want to learn at their own pace. The lessons are focused and results-oriented, but it's a non-pressured relaxed atmosphere. Some people want to become great guitar players; others want to learn to play a single song at their wedding or to sing to their baby. It's great for me because I get to meet all kinds of people.

What is the financial set up?

There is a pay-as-you-go option for $100 an hour, but I also offer lesson plans, which are pay-in-advance and come with a discount. For example, there's a 10-lesson plan for $800. It's been a very successful model because the plans have a workable schedule with flexibility for real world encroachments. People know after 10 lessons they will learn something, although you get back what you put in.

It seems you've had quite a ride.

I have people dressing up like me for Halloween. I never would have imagined that. And it all starts with this low-fi, low-tech grassroots campaign. A two-year-old recognized me. Couldn't even say "guitar man" yet and was too young for me to put a pick in his hand, but who knows? Kid might need lessons one of these days.

Entrepreneur Spotlight
Name: Dan Smith
Company: Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar
Age: 39
Location: New York City
Founded: 1996
Employees: 0

Revenue: Undisclosed

Web site: www.dansmithguitar.com

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Wasn't that refreshingly simple? Come by the first Tuesday of next month when we post on the virtual community corkboard another edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips.

Joel Kweskin
http://www.jdkmarketing.biz/
704.846.4835 office
704.575.8850 mobile
Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo

Mad about USP

How many of you are hooked on “Mad Men?”

The soap operatic escapades of men and women working at a New York ad agency, circa 1964 (this season, anyway) hold a nostalgic place in my cobwebbed psyche, as my Dad was in the industry as an art director during that era.

But when I watch the show, I particularly enjoy watching Creative Director Don Draper challenge his team of copywriters and graphic designers – and even the account people – to focus on what it is that distinguishes the client’s product from that of their competitors.

What it was called then…is pretty much what it’s called today.

Welcome to the August edition of “Not Your Usual Marketing Tips” from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

Since we’re waxing nostalgic with reference to “Mad Men,” I think I’ll turn the clock all the way back to, ahem, 2008, when this subject was first broached.

What's your USP?

And, no, it has nothing to do with the US Postal Service. It’s your “Unique Selling Proposition.” Or substitute the word Proposition with Proposal or Point. Any way you say it, it’s what those three words say about your business that, theoretically, no one else can say.

Simply stated, your USP should – in your marketing materials, position papers, sales letters, perhaps even your slogan – reflect the contention that what you sell is unique, something your competition cannot or chooses not to promote…culminating in the decision by your customer to act by exploring and/or purchasing your product or service.

Wikepedia further explains USP as a “marketing concept that was first proposed as a theory to explain a pattern among successful advertising campaigns (of the 1940s and 1950s). It states that such campaigns made unique propositions to the customer and that this convinced them to switch brands.

The term was invented by Rosser Reeves (an account executive with former independent ad agency giant) Ted Bates & Company. Today the term is used in other fields or just casually to refer to any aspect of an object that differentiates it from similar objects…A number of businesses and corporations currently use USPs as a basis for their marketing campaigns.”

Jay Abraham, with a string of successful books on the “guerilla” ways of marketing, opines that, “Even while you creatively imitate others, remember that it's also important to be different.

Distinguish your business or practice from all the rest. Make your enterprise special in the eyes of your customer or client. A USP is that distinct and appealing idea that sets you and your business, or practice, favorably apart from every other generic competitor.”

BusinessTown.com has a little more “tough love” message for you: “There may be very little difference between your product and your competitors’.

But if you can't find a way to communicate uniqueness and connect it to a need of your target, you might as well quit fighting your competition and sell out to them.

“There are many different ways to stake out a position. Just remember, your position reflects your unique selling proposition, and it is what makes your offering more valuable to your customers than what's being offered by your competition.”

No doubt by now you may have taken a cold, hard look at what you do for a living and thought, “but my business is really no different than others in this field.”

That’s the challenge. But it’s not unmeet-able. There are things about your business you may not be able to see – the old “forest for the trees” situation.

And that’s where it may take a professional marketing firm (Hello!) to help adjust your glasses for you…And help truly, and memorably, distinguish you vis-à-vis your competition. If you haven't done so by now, maybe it’s time you worked on your USP...ASAP.

Join us again the first Tuesday of next month as we adjust our fedoras and bouffant hairdos for another look at Not Your Usual Marketing Tips.

Analysis Paralysis

I recently had a spirited conversation with a client about what I felt was the need to get a marketing initiative on the ground and running already, after much time and deliberation.

After all, I figured, this particular initiative was somewhat time-sensitive in order to reach a selected market so that the market's decisions to purchase could be made in a, what else, timely manner.

My client, however, had not been convinced that preceding methods of conveying the information were the best ones to implement.

To paraphrase...Tempus fugit, I said.

The distribution method was not optimally configured, the client countered.

And...the initiative rolls slowly toward that green light. Yet perhaps continuing analysis remains the appropriate course of "action" for now, and the foreseeable future.

The question I ask, however, is how long before that future is no longer foreseeable?

The popular term for this apparent torpor is "Analysis Paralysis."

Welcome to the mid-year edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

* From Wikepedia:

"The term 'analysis paralysis' or 'paralysis of analysis' refers to over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation, so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises. A person might be seeking the optimal or 'perfect' solution upfront, and fear making any decision which could lead to erroneous results, when on the way to a better solution.

"In Aesop's The Fox and the Cat, the fox has 'hundreds of ways of escaping' while the cat has 'only one.' When they hear the hounds approaching, the cat scampers up a tree while the 'the fox in his confusion is caught up by the hounds.' The fable ends with the moral, 'Better one safe way than a hundred on which you cannot reckon.'"

"Peter P.," in his online blog, Internet Marketing Tools, weighs in on this subject:

"The opportunity costs of analysis exceed simply choosing a path, even if it may not be the best one, and acting on it now.

"We all get it. The bombardment of too much information, which you think would be nice in a world that totes knowledge as power. I’m here to tell you that’s utter and complete (B.S.).

You need to do some analysis and information gathering to make informed decisions, sure, but when you become obsessed with it…gathering info for info gathering’s sake…it becomes detrimental."

* Lori Watson Redding, in her blog, How To Achieve Your Network Marketing Success, asks:

"What happened to spontaneity and impetuousness? What happened to not worrying and taking a chance? Geesh. Did I get old or did I just grow up.

"Here’s what I know to be true:

"Sometimes it’s a really good thing to be cautious. We sometimes make better decisions when they are processed with deep-rooted perception after we have pursued an avenue wrought with months of insight and forethought.

"But oft-times we over-think things to death. Or, if I was to quote the movie, The Princess Bride, “not to the death, but to the pain.“ We scrutinize the obvious which causes personal agony. Instead of making a decision and RUNNING with it, we second guess ourselves, procrastinate and cause more aggravation and FAILURE because we don’t trust our inner voice."

* Chris Garrett, in his virtual column on "New Media" opines:

"Analysis Paralysis often comes from learned behavior over several years. Either it has proven beneficial, so you do a little more thinking and planning each time, or not enough planning has caused problems so each occasion you get a little more cautious.

"Planning is good. Failure to plan is planning to fail. But too much can be as crippling as not enough.

"It never fails to surprise me how different the world seems when my analysis faces reality. We all get some things right while other things seem to come from outer-space and no amount of thinking would have predicted it.

"Thinking on your feet is often as important as any amount of analysis.

Set a deadline and stick to it. Don’t be tempted to put it so far in the future we will all be flying around with personal jet packs.

"Partner with or get the second opinion of someone a little more reckless – my go-to hot-head is Nick. I’m starting to think my analysis paralysis has rubbed off on him though, heh.

"Get used to making decisions, it gets easier with practice. Start with small decisions ('caramel macchiato' vs 'double-shot-latte') and work up to the (big ones).

"Do one of the tasks on your list, then another. Easy or hard, doesn’t matter. Gain some momentum.

"Finally, Stop thinking about it and start doing something."

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As for yours truly, however, in respectful deference to my aforementioned client, the bottom line may also be the bottom line.

After all, it's their business, their money, their neck on the line.

So...what's the answer? I personally tend to operate my business in a "shoot first, ask questions later" fashion. Is that the "better" way?

Candidly, I'm not sure.

What do you think? If this subject inspires sufficient response, I'll post your comments in next month's Not Your Usual Marketing Tips.

Joel Kweskin
www.jdkmarketing.biz
704.846.4835 office
704.575.8850 mobile
Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo

E-zine Does It

Sometime ago, I wrote about e-zines and a great resource site for both gathering info for your e-zine...and submitting your own to the site. With more and more of you taking advantage of this significant marketing tool (yes, marketing tool, as I for one have derived business from it...), let's revisit that column.

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Andy Warhol coined the observation that sooner or later everyone would have his or her “15 minutes of fame.” Now it seems everyone with an e-zine can have those 15 minutes…virtually whenever he or she mails one out.

Those of you writing e-zines, though, know what it’s like to sit down and stare at a blank screen when no compelling subject comes to mind. What do you do then?

Welcome to another edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

As a copywriter, working on everything from brochures to ads to press releases to TV and radio commercials, I know what it’s like to stare at a blank page and trust that my capabilities will marry with my muse and something brilliant will emerge. Hah! If only it could be more expeditiously controlled.

There is a source, however, for those of you who, like me, also write for this 15-inch electronically illuminated screen and occasionally stare at it, scratching our heads wondering how to get cranking. If you need a jumpstart on a theme, a subject, or even want to plug in an entire piece (as long as appropriate credit is given), there’s a website that will “freely” help you out.

http://www.ezinearticles.com/ brings you to a virtual clearinghouse of already-written e-zines. There are literally hundreds to choose from, on such subjects as: Business, Finance, Self-Improvement, Health & Fitness, House & Family, Computers & Technology, News & Society, Public Speaking, Internet & Business Online. There’s no plagiarism issue; credit is expected in lieu of any kind of fee.

You can even arrange to submit your own articles so that others can glean information from them and link your name/website alongswide as an authority in that field. Through SEO and Keywords, that’s potential for a lot more eyes to see what you have to say beyond your own database.

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According to Wikipedia, as of February 10th of this year, Ezinearticles.com was ranked Number 131 in traffic among global websites and Number 51 in the United States.

In the business world where we're told success is a numbers game, those are pretty strong digits to take into consideration.

'Til we meet again the first Tuesday of next month for more virtual viewpoints from Not Your Usual Marketing Tips, happy e-zine to you and yours!

Joel Kweskin

http://www.jdkmarketing.biz/
joel@jdkmarketing.biz

704.846.4835 office

704.575.8850 mobile

Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo

"Quote-Unquote"

Saw a terrific one-man show the other day -- Frank Ferrante performing his tribute to Groucho Marx. The guy was great; he looked like him, dressed like him, sounded like him, and pretty much nailed his mannerisms.

And, of course, there were all those curmudgeonly, cynical quotes the curmudgeonly, cynical among us fans have come to know and cherish.

Welcome to the Merry Month of May edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

"What would it take to buy back my introduction to you?"

"I've had a perfectly lovely evening. But this wasn't it."

"From the moment I picked this book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend to actually read it."

"I've worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty."

"I read in the newspapers they are going to have 30 minutes of intellectual stuff on television every Monday from 7:30 to 8.00 to educate America. They couldn't educate America if they started at 6:30."

It occurred to me that in the field of marketing, advertising and publicity, there've been some quotable teeth marks left, as well. None here by Groucho, but some pretty impressive folks just the same.

(And please keep in mind, I'm not knocking my chosen profession, nor the hands -- my clients -- that feed me; we're just having fun here...)

"All publicity is good, except an obituary notice."
Brendan Behan

"Advertising is legalized lying."
H.G. Wells

"Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need."
Will Rogers

"An advertising agency is 85 percent confusion and 15 percent commission."
Fred Allen

"I am one who believes that one of the greatest dangers of advertising is not that of misleading people, but of boring them to death."
Leo Burnett

"I saw a subliminal advertising message, but only for a second"
Steven Wright

"In advertising, not to be different is virtual suicide."
Thornton Wilder

"In marketing I've seen only one strategy that can't miss - and that is to market to your best customers first, your best prospects second and the rest of the world last."
John Romero

"Ninety eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them."
Lily Tomlin

That's it for this edition. But before I sign off until the first Tuesday of next month when we reconvene in this same spot, I want to wish all my friends, colleagues and clients on the distaff side (who qualify)...a Happy and respected Mother's Day!

Joel Kweskin
www.jdkmarketing.biz
joel@jdkmarketing.biz

704.846.4835 office

704.575.8850 mobile

Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo