So, where is all this digital stuff going?

Edelman’s Digital team gives us a preview of their opinion of what’s to come in their recently released white paper, Digital Visions: Ten Ideas for the New Decade.

The bigger opportunity for clients, we believe, is to identify the global societal and technological trends that are reshaping how we think, act and buy – and to pivot into them early. Trends today tend to develop more slowly and are harder to see, …

Confession: I love jewelry that sparkles – preferably a lot. To make stones sparkle, they have to be cut to catch light. To be attractive, they need to be shaped. To be displayed, they have to be set. Stones come in many colors, sizes, cuts and shapes. But, they all start out as a rough piece of rock.

Content is the same way: rough at first, then shaped, cut, colored, polished and set. Here’s an update on an article about how …

What do women business owners really want to know about business, technology and communications? Listen in to a podcast and read twitter transcripts captured at a lively evening at the Apple Store.

Thanks to Theresa Carter, founder of Chicago’s “The Local Tourist” and Blagica Bottigliero [don’t we look like a fun trio?] for letting me speak to the group, “It’s Chic to be Geek,” I got to find out what women want to know about how to market their business online. …

A few days ago I spoke to a group that started programming early in the morning. Although I wasn’t on until 9:45 I decided to get there early to hear the first speaker talk about communications. Our preliminary exercise required that we introduce the person to our right. The person on my left introduced the person on their left leaving me as the only person in the room to not be introduced. I was okay with that since I’d soon …

Is there a simple way to tell how you’re doing in social media? How can you gauge what’s working and what needs to be fixed?

In preparing for a presentation, I came up with ways to rank five social media marketing and PR essential elements.

Plan

Platforms

Keywords

Images

Stories

Social Media Marketing Scoring Guide

Each counts for 20 points. Rate yourself based on these measurements.

 
5 points
10 points
15 points
20 points

Plan
sketch
tested
working it
updating based on results

Keywords
have an idea
researched and targeted
tested with Google AdWords
you own your keywords

Platforms
on several sites
focusing …

As a backdrop for my presentation to “It’s Chic to be Geek” I’m sharing a process we usually only show to our clients. Called the Creative WorkPlan, it’s a structure thought process/checklist that walks you through why you’re writing or communication just about anything. Thanks to Theresa Carter, founder of Chicago’s “The Local Tourist” and Blagica Bottigliero for letting me speak to the group, “It’s Chic to be Geek.”

Business Communications: CoryWest Media’s Creative Workplan

AUDIENCES

Primary

Profile

Goal

Benefit[s]

Secondary

Profile

Goal

Benefit[s]

CONTENT

Format

Summary

Copy …

Looking for ways to energize your message delivery? Here’s the list we use when we create wired writing for our clients.

Wired Writing: Ways to Enliven Writing

Start with what’s most important
Active versus passive voice
You versus we
Peer editing
Short sentences
Lead with verbs
Tell stories
Gunning Fog Index
Read aloud
Interview
Research
Sources
Formatting
Subheads
Writing Checker
Proofread
Headlines

Technorati Tags: wired writing,business communications,Wired PR Works

“It’ll never work. It’s taken me 12 years to do what I do. You have to practice for hours to do these tricks. And, you have bail – a lot.” 16 year old skateboarder’s answer to why he won’t give skateboarding lessons

It’s Monday and I’m in the mood for some motivation.

What do you tell people when they ask you for advice about how to do what you do? Do you talk about bails or successes?

When people want to talk to …

Recently a reader asked me how I started my Chicago area marketing and public relations consultancy. I answered background questions on how I transitioned from a corporate career to an independent creative consultant. To extend my answer and benefit others, I’m including the outline for a course I teach called “Write from the Start: How to Launch Your Creative Consulting Career.” Created for writers, a few of my students have gone on to be very successful. I hope this …