OK, we’re going to do a little exercise here. Get somewhere comfy (preferably not hooked up to any device) close your eyes and repeat…

“I am not my target.”

(Deep and cleansing breath…)

“I am not my target.”

(Don’t stop now…)

“I am not my target.”

What you are, is someone who runs or owns a business or service. You know every little detail about it. It’s your baby. Your life. Your livelihood. You decide you should be getting your message out there. You just don’t know exactly what you should say, or how to say it. More importantly to whom. You’d sort of like your target to be, oh, let’s say most everyone. But as we’ve said, you are not your target. So first you have to decide exactly who your target is. Who would benefit most from what you offer? Who would discover you could deliver exactly what they want and need that would make their lives easier, and yes, even happier. If you’re not on target, you might as well be hitting the snooze button amidst every other message that takes a shot at attempting to communicate to them. (Be wary, some might actually come within listening distance.)

“I am not my target.”

No assumptions, no guesswork. Just hard work trying to determine who your target really is. Which, as we’ve said, is definitely not you.

Let me help you figure out who it really is.

So, where are you going? What does your marketing plan look like? Oh, you don’t have one? Winging it is going to be about as successful as an emu trying to take flight. (Hint: NASA couldn’t get them off the ground.)  Maybe you’ll take the piecemeal approach; try a brochure…a blog maybe…word of mouth…(no words for that one.) Your brother-in law, who happens to be a divorce attorney, claims he can write whatever you need. Free of charge. But believe it when you hear how much it will cost you in lost sales. Or worse, potential sales. Your neighbor thinks you should advertise on bus benches. Look at it all and what you see is humungous Mish and disastrous Mash. What to do? What to do? Try this to get the big picture; imagine getting a drone’s eye view looking down at your business. No one doing anything in that corner. Lots of contagious head-scratching clogging the middle. Is anyone actually doing any of your business on their phone? Is anyone actually sitting down together trying to formulate a plan that creates loyal customers and real revenue for you? What you’re going to see going on is most likely a disaster plan for who knows what.

Success needs a blueprint.

Hiring me to help, would be the beginning of a brilliant strategy.

  1. YOU CAN’T FAKE CREATIVITY.
  2. FERVENTLY AVOID PRESENTATIONS THAT INDUCE NARCOLEPSY.
  3. CLICHÉ HAS ITS OWN ZIPCODE. EVEN UBER WON’T GO THERE.
  4. AIM TO MAKE YOUR BLOGS MORE COMPELLING THAN A GROCERY LIST.
  5. ASSUME BOTTOM LINES DON’T GET ALL FAT AND “KARDASHIAN” BY THEMSELVES.
  6. IT’S HARD TO MAKE A STATEMENT IF THERE’S NOTHING THERE TO SAY.
  7. ADAMENTLY AVOID THE LURE OF MEDIOCRITY.
  8. DESIGN AND COPY SHOULD BE MARRIED, NOT JUST LIVING TOGETHER.
  9. MAKE YOUR IDEAS TITANIC PROOF.
  10. OBSSESIVELY PUSH BOUNDARIES.
  11. THINKING QUO, WILL NEVER CHANGE YOUR STATUS.
  12. ELEVATE YOUR EUREKA MOMENTS.
  13. DIMENTIONALIZE YOUR REPERTOIRE.
  14. GIVE YOUR EMOTIONS LIBERAL REIGN.
  15. EVEN IF YOU LOVE IT, IT CAN STILL STINK.
  16. MAALOX AND MACCHIADOS DON’T MIX.

Experience. The kind of experience that means having been there, done that, solved that and won that. Knowing what works, and what doesn’t and how to make it all work. So why do people break into a sweat just hearing the word “experience”? Does it mean old, tired, out of touch? Does it mean stretch pants, and being Pinterest and Twitter free? Obviously, it means Millennials don’t get it. I’ve been told no one wants to work with their mothers. Or give orders to their fathers. And drinks after work? Who do they think invented multi-martini lunches? I’ve seen job reqs online that are looking for executive creative people with two whole years of experience. Two whole years. It would take longer than that just to grow your hair out or lose the pooch you’ve been carrying around, trying everything to lose. Contrary to your beliefs, there is no graveyard where elephants and Boomers go to die. Ok, some facts here. Facts. America’s 75 million Baby Boomers, between the ages of 52 and 70, control about 70 percent of all disposable income in the U.S. according to Nielson.  More stunners; Boomers are set to inherit about $15 trillion dollars over the next 20 years.  With that kind of financial might, analysts expect Baby Boomers will continue to ignite a consumer spending boom over the next several years.  Oh wait, there’s more; women control over $20 Trillion in world-wide spending. Teens spend $258.7 billion each year. Enough to blow up abacuses and algorithms world-wide. Guess who’s had the most experience in learning who all these segments are, where they spend, and how to talk to them in their own language? The folks who have had the most experience dealing with them on their terms. People over 40. Let’s see now…the average waist size for men is 39.7 inches. For women, it’s 37.4. If it helps, think of it this way; is 64-year old Christy Brinkley too old for a Sports Illustrated Cover? Is 71-year old Cher too old for anything? Are freelance writers over 40 really too old to write killer copy and deliver relevant content? Maybe you should redo the math.

You want ordinary? Mundane? Bored-til-they-snore content that’s like trying to get an emu to fly?  Aah…can see that that’s what you usually get from most freelance writers you hire. What would you give to be astounded? Startled? Have your blood pressure edge toward 140/90? My work may make you sweat a little when you see it, but believe me, that’s a condition smart clients would rather see than content that leaves them cold. Let’s start by agreeing that social media is King. Or Queen or LGBT.  But horrors! I’m going to let you mull this one over; we could all use a little more Chatting, and less Snapping. Content unfiltered. Which brings me to an unusual copy conundrum; there are oh, maybe hundreds of words to describe your product or service, so why do most writers unflaggingly cling to the same dozen or so…”better, stronger, wider, bigger, smaller, cheaper”…sound familiar? That’s the safe way of the marketing universe. Safe. But “safe”, doesn’t sit well with me. Safe doesn’t have the confidence to build a business as a unique brand, or the pluck and guts to annihilate the clutter. I’ve never done safe. And I’ve never been sorry. Ditto, my clients. Up for “amazing”?