But darling, I'm an artist.

“But, darling, I’m an artist,” he drawled while inhaling on the ever-present cigarette that dangled from his fingers.

I watched Halston, the Netflix series that explores the rise and fall of the designer who created Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat for her husband’s inauguration, grew a fashion empire, then crashed and burned after partying too much at Studio 54.

There’s a constant tension between creativity and commerce in the show.

“I must be a real artist because I’m a terrible businessman,” Halston complains.

“Do you have to choose?” a mentor asks.

“Yes, I probably do.”

“Why not both?” his mentor answers.

For 15 years, I have followed a former ad industry creative giant who is now an author and speaker. During quarantine, this individual developed a quick course to sell since there were no speaking gigs to be had. The copy was not engaging, and several versions of the ad appeared, all with forgettable stock photos. It was evident that there was zero creative direction from the former ad professional in the ad campaign for this product. I wonder if sales of this course would have been higher if the campaign had been a little more alluring.

For Halston, details were everything. He had to fight with the manufacturer because they didn’t want to use a special bottle stopper for his debut fragrance, which went on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. Were the details worth it? Yes.

In the end, Halston’s business faltered because he was spread too thin and inhaled too many chemicals. When he began collaborating to produce costumes for Martha Graham’s dance troupe for the sheer creative joy of it, an assistant asked him: “How do you want to make the audience feel?”

And Halston, being the artist, knew how to articulate it: “When the dancers move, I want the audience to feel something pulling back against them. I want to feel the membrane that separates our world from the heavens that we can never quite touch, if we could just stretch a little further, we could be immortal.”

And that’s where art collides with business. How can you reflect what people want to feel in a product that you create? That’s where the magic happens.

DIY Branding Workshop Templates!

Over the past six months, I have been experimenting with a new DIY brand voice workshop that I have been using with clients and in the copywriting classes I teach. It's free and I thought you might want to give it a try.

It's based on the 3-Hour Branding Sprint developed by the folks at Google Ventures. I've adjusted it a bit. It's perfect for solo buisness owners and small groups. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Can you explain your brand?

If not, use these simple exercises to make the idea of your brand into something concrete. If It’s just you, just print out this handbook and doodle away. If you’re part of a team, draw these diagrams on large sticky note posters. After you’re done, you (and your team) should have some common language to describe you’re your brand is all about.

Note and VoteBranding is one of those things where you can talk for hours and hours and still note make a decision. Note and vote limits your discussion time and allows quieter people to be heard.

How to make decisions quickly.

• Time to generate ideas: Everyone gets a Sharpie, a pad of sticky notes and the permission to go crazy for two minutes. One idea per sticky note. No self-editing. The idea is to generate a lot of ideas.

• Narrow down: Then, the timer is set for two more minutes, while each person selects their favorite idea or two.

• Share: Now it’s time to share. Everyone shares their ideas while one person records them. Next, another five minutes passes while everyone individually picks out a favorite idea from the whiteboard and writes their vote down.

• Ta-da: The votes are revealed and noted on the whiteboard. One person, the “decider,” (who is chosen in advance) makes the final call on which idea to go with. (The decider is the CEO of your company.)

Your Mission

Where are you going to be in one, five, and ten years? Taking a long term approach helps you focus on the big picture.

Guiding Principles

List your guiding principles. It’s easy to list 20. But it’s hard to narrow them down to three. This is your point of difference.

Audience

Who is your audience. You might have many. But focus on the top two or three. Ask yourself, what do they care about? What’s their problem that we can solve?

Draw an audience pie chart and label what their top need is.

What, How, and Why

When you know why you’re in business and have a unified way to talk about it all of your marketing and communications fall into place.

The What – Please write a phrase or sentence describing your primary business for the next five years. Examples: We make tacos. I am a financial coach.

The How – What’s our secret sauce? What technology or approach sets us apart from the competition? Examples: We make our tacos with fresh ingredients. I help people gain finyancial literacy.

The Why – You can think of the "why" as the reason you get out of bed in the morning and go to work. The "why" should reflect the core reason your company exists, and it won’t change much over time. Examples: We sell food with integrity. If you don’t plan your future, who will.

This is adapted from Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle.

Brand Personality

Where does your brand voice fall? You can fall to the left in some ranges and fall to the right in others. That’s okay. What you don’t want is your brand voice landing in the middle of everything. That’s bland and boring.

Landscape

Take a sticky note and place where your company is in comparison to the competition. You might want to change the labels to fit your industry. For example, you might use high tech/no tech. Or business/inspiration. Corporate/casual.

Ta-da!

Here you have it, simple beginnings of a brand guide. Use it to help drive your messaging. Or bring it when you engage a social media person, web developer, designer, or copywriter.

Get your copy here.

Clarity Wins! Branding Workshops

If you would like me to lead you or your team through a Clarity Wins! Branding Workshop, just hit me up at stories@annemccoll.com!

Happy writing! :)

"Hosting an Effective Brainstorm on Zoom" at San Diego Design Week.

San Diego Design Week is here, September 9 -13! I will be offering a pre-recoreded workshop:: Hosting an Effective Brainstorm on Zoom.

Learn how to structure and facilitate an effective brainstorm session on Zoom. As designers, finding creative solutions to problems is what we do! Just because you’re working remotely, you don’t have to lose that magic that a face-to-face session can generate. We’ll talk about how to bridge the communication gap that can occur with digital meetings and the importance of visualizing participant input. You will learn how to structure a brainstorm, how to work visually in a virtual world, and low tech ways to make Zoom more engaging.

This prerecorded workshop is available all week. You can access it here.

Virtual Brand Sprint: Getting social with Loom and Zoom

I am sure many of you are now at home for an extended stay. Perhaps you are trying to work from home. As a digital copywriter, I have been working remotely for the past ten years. I wanted to share two tools I use a lot to add a face-to-face component to my interactions.

 Get Live with Loom

 The first is Loom.com which is a video generating service. Loom records a small video of you while sharing your desktop. It’s a great way to record a process, give feedback, or even video a presentation. You can also record Loom with audio and no personal video if you are camera shy.

 You can check out a video I made for you here.

 https://www.loom.com/share/61f669c9ff374dfda5c011cba4bd4ed6

 Zoom with White Boards

I am sure that many of you are aware of Zoom.us, a video conferencing service. Zoom makes it easy to have a video conference and share your desktop. It also automatically records every session. Participants can access Zoom from their smartphone, iPad, or desktop. On the iPad, you can use a white board feature that lets you draw as you talk. It’s a great way to hold a brainstorming session. I use it to host virtual Brand Sprints. Even remote copywriters like to think visual!

You can access the white board function on an iPad by choosing the option after you click the share screen button.

I predraw templates for brand sprints on the white boards before we begin our virtual meeting.

I’ll be thinking of you all and pray that you and your families stay healthy. Use this time to slow down, read a good book, make art, and watch a movie in the middle of the day. As a San Diego copywriter I have long injected a few hours of exercise in my day in between client engagements. Here in San Diego we have a rare two weeks of rain so I plan on taking my family hiking when the sun peeps out. Maybe get some some surf in when the rain is gone.

I have 26,000 unopened emails and I feel fine.

it's a low-tech email management system.

I have four email accounts.

Email #1: This is my work email where I communicate with clients, also my family and close friends. I check this one all the time.

Email #2: This is my work admin email. This is where I sign up for professional memberships, work services like Rev, Wordy, Freshbooks and Squarespace. I check this about once a day

Email #3: This is my 20-year old hotmail account. I save this for the kids' school, work, church, extended family, and travel. I check it about once a day.

Email #4: Shopping and social media. This is the email I use to shop and to sign up for services like Facebook and Twitter. I only look at it when I am confirming that an order is coming through or I check it to get sale codes if I need to buy something at a particular store. It has over 26,000 emails right now since I zeroed it last year. That’s 26,000 emails that I didn’t have to deal with in my daily inbox.

I hope this helps.

Happy Writing! :)

Brand Safari: A visit to Breakfast Republic

Brand Safari: Sightings of great work in the branding jungle.

It was the first week of the new year and I was meeting a girlfriend for breakfast at Breakfast Republic down at Liberty Station. As a San Diego freelance copywriter, I immediately was drawn to how copywriting was able to contribute to a fun experience. This is where creativity–not budget—makes a big impact.

While I was waiting for Lex, my tea was delivered in a mug that equated coffee consumption with early morning clarity.

A whimsical chicken character lived inside the menu and commented on menu items.

And Breakfast Republic didn’t miss a chance for branding fun with napkin wrappers and a line of sauces and toppings they carry.

Well done! Well done! (And the company and conversation was pretty great too.)

How can you share bits of humor and humanity as your customers experience your business?

Writing a Really Rough Draft Really Fast with Google Docs Voice Typing

In my role as a San Diego freelance copywriter, so many of my clients tell me that they have all the information up in their head but when they try to write it’s all jumbled, unorganized, and usually doesn’t sound like them. Something is lost in translation from head to paper.

The really rough first draft.

Writer Ann Lamott says perfectionism can kill creativity. You suffer over the first paragraph, then write the second paragraph and then re-edit the first paragraph. Progress is really slow.

Enter the really rough first draft. Get rough ideas down on paper so you have something to edit. But instead of writing our first draft, we’re going to talk through it.

The tools you’ll use.

Open up your Google doc, and under the tools menu click on voice typing. A microphone icon will appear on the left of your document. Place your cursor where you want to start typing and then click on the microphone icon. It will turn red as it begins to record what you’re saying.

(Sometimes it’s fun to go back and see what Google docs has typed. I have found that it’s a skill and after a while Google docs becomes familiar with certain words and proper names you use.)

Talking is easier than writing.

When I am interviewing clients for writing assignments, they have no trouble explaining their business. They use warm, human phrasing in their explanations—the type of language that appeals to customers. When you’re writing, just pretend someone is interviewing you and voice type away.

Here’s a video of me voice typing the first draft of this post,

Make an outline.

Before you begin voice typing, make a rough outline of the content that you’re going to talk about. You don’t have to worry about writing witty, compelling headlines at this point. Just label each section. That way it’s easier to talk about your information in chunks (which also allows you to catch your breath). 

Start talking.

Just start talking section by section. If you make a mistake, just repeat yourself. Don’t worry about deleting sentences and repeating them until they’re perfect. The goal is to get a rough draft done so you’ll have something to edit.

Edit. And ta-da. You’re done.

Now is the time to edit and polish. Take your sentences and smooth them out. Embellish some thoughts if you need to. Feel free to move sections around.

Change your section labels into compelling headlines and subheads. Ta-da, you’re done.

You can also use this technique in the notes section on your smartphone. Type in your outline and then use the dictation button on your keyboard.

Let me know how this works out for you!

What's on my Kindle: Summer reading for the creative biz.

It’s summer time and my schedule is a little more relaxed because I don’t have to drive my kids back and forth to school. I’ve tried loading books onto my Kindle app on my phone so I can do a little more intentional reading rather than scrolling. It’s working. I am reading more books. As a freelance copywriter, I am always looking for more insights on how to run a creative business.

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad

by Austin Kleon

I have been a huge fan of Austin Kleon before he wrote his book Steal Like an Artist, which was a study on how creativity works. The second book Show Your Work revealed how to get discovered in the digital age. (Hint: make your own path.) Now Austin addresses how to keep on creating new creative work. Keep Going is the creativity mid-life crisis antidote. Nope, it doesn’t get easier.

Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business

by Paul Jarvis

 Paul is a graphic designer, web designer, course creator who made a name creating courses on how to work with MailChimp back in the day. He’s a smart business guy. (Check out his business templates for designers too at Project Prescription.) The premise of his book: what if the real key to a richer and more fulfilling career was not to create and scale up a new business, but rather, to be able to work for yourself, determine your own hours and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one? This book takes the solo practitioner beyond trading time for money and discusses creating digital products. While I enjoyed this book, I wish Paul could have used examples of people not on the marketing/tech/entrepreneur podcast circuit.

 Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life

 by James Victore

 James writes about finding your voice, dealing with your fears, and finding your purpose and creating a creative and happy life. James has covered a lot of these ideas. (I always send students to his Burning Questions series on YouTube. Now he’s moved to a Patreon page.) Do yourself a favor and get the print book: the designs lose impact in the Kindle version.

Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It

by Mike Monteiro

 Mike is the founder of Mule design. I saw him a couple of years ago at the AIGA National Conference, and he spoke on the subject of the responsibility of designers to be responsible for the products they design. We’re not just working on "just an app" anymore—we're working on tools that shift the face of our healthcare, political system, and home privacy. Mike has powerful opinions—you can read a chapter on Medium here.

The Three Musketeers

by Alexander Dumas

This trilogy has been a favorite since high school, and I reread it every ten years or so. The books are so much better in the movies because you witness the depth of their friendships. As more movie, I prefer the 1974 version vs. the one in the nineties with the Brian Adams/Sting/Rod Steward theme song.

I am on a surfing hiatus. The kids have been off a couple of weeks already, and the water is getting warmer, but I still haven't made the switch to a spring suit yet. I've tweaked my shoulders, so I am doing physical therapy every day and taking a break from surfing. It’s a boogie boarding summer! Using a Morey Boogie, circa 1978. I paid $29 in 1979 for a Morey board from Price Club. Boogie boards are still $29 at Costco now. But they barely last two seasons, let alone four decades.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy a little of the summer. What’s on your reading list?

Write like a girl.

As a freelance copywriter I am dedicated to creating clear compelling language for my clients. Yet in my personal communications I realized I can be a little wishy washy. I use words like just, possibly, maybe, and perhaps in my opinions and requests. Can you see the difference?

I’m just checking in on my invoice.

TRY: When can I expect payment?

Let me know a good time that works. I’m pretty free.

TRY: How does Wednesday at 3pm work?

If it’s alright, we should go here.

TRY: I think we should go here.

Well, I hope the design makes sense.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Maybe we could do it this way.

TRY: I think this is the best option.

I just wanted to make sure we’re on for this morning.

TRY: I am confirming our call this morning.

Hey, I just wanted to see where you are.

TRY: Hey, the project is late. When can I expect to see it.

I promise, try the first one and you’ll receive more prompt payments. Here’s to clear communication.

Happy writing! :)



BrandSafari: Shopping for brand voice and tone.

As a San Diego freelance copywriter, I go about my day looking for great examples of branding to share with you. And recently while grocery shopping, I’ve noticed the differences in the signs asking you to put the shopping carts back. (I’m a solid put-the-shopping-cart-back-instead-of-leaving-it-in-theparking-lot type of gal.)

Windmill Farms is a family-owned local store specializing in produce, organic items, and gourmet foods. I would describe their brand voice as Neighborhood Farmers Market.

Here's how Windmill Farms asks customers to bring shopping carts back. The message is friendly and folksy and they refer to their shopping carts as buggies. The message is signed with the owner's name.

Costco also sells food, just on a more extensive scale. I would describe their voice as Warehouse Luxury. They offer exceptional value on quality items.

A long legalese sign kindly asks you to return carts. It starts off with a with a mention of service: Our shopping carts are provided for your convenience. The notice ends with a commitment to price: help us keep our prices down. It basically says the same thing as the previous example, but you kind of get the feeling their lawyers had a hand in writing the sign.

Grocery Outlet store is another brand that emphasizes lower prices. I would describe their brand voice as Quirky Bargain.  In contrast to the luxury items Costco carries, Grocery Outlet features end of stock and special purchases. If you save more than $100 on a purchase, they ring a bell and announce it on the loudspeaker to much whooping.

Notice how Grocery Outlet reminds you to remember your grocery bags, while Costco reminded you that by returning your cart, you help keep prices down.

Each of these brands stays consistent with their brand voice even in the most mundane (but highly visible) communications. One way you can keep a consistent voice is by selecting tone words that describe your brand. And then with every communication you write, hold it up to those tone words and see if your communication falls within these range of adjectives.

Windmill Farms

• Brand Voice: Neighborhood Farmers Market

• Tone descriptors: folksy, fresh, healthy, local, family

Costco

• Brand Voice: Luxury Warehouse

• Tone descriptors: quality, value, volume, service, corporate

Grocery Outlet

• Brand Voice: Quirky Bargain

• Tone descriptors: bargain, fun, spirited, surprise, hunt
  

Try using tone words to keep your brand voice consistent.

And hey, if you have any suggestions for destinations where this San Diego copywriter can go on Brand Safari, drop me a line!

Happy writing! :)

The complete guide to writing festive and fun holiday cards your customers will love.

There are always those super organized business associates who have their holiday cards sent out the day after Thanksgiving.

 Then there’s the rest of us.



 In this digital age, you might wonder if you should even bother sending out a holiday card. After all, can’t you just send out a festive email instead? And the answer is yes, an email is a great way to wish your clients a happy holidays and express your gratitude for their business.

 But a card takes a little more effort to send and can be a way to stand out. Here are a few ideas and card writing prompts from your favorite San Diego copywriter to make the process a lot more fun and more memorable.

A San Diego designer sends a greeting to snowbound clients on the east coast.

 You can send out greetings anytime you like.

Take the pressure off and send out New Year’s card. Only don’t send it right before New Year’s because so many people are out that week. Send your New Year’s greeting in the first two weeks of the year. (There you just gave yourself another two or three weeks to get this done.)

 Or choose another holiday. Maybe it’s about Valentines and how much you love your clients. Or the spring equinox or May the Fourth be with you for Star Wars fans. The main thing is that at some time of year you do it.

 Sign by hand.

Try to sign your cards by hand. Writing a personal note is even better, but if you don’t have time to write a personal note to all your clients, choose 10 clients and write a note to them.

 Create your own card.

Costco, Moo, Tiny Prints and Vista Print have easy upload apps that make it easy to create a custom card. So grab a photo of the team, pick a holiday template, and you’re done. (Some companies like Tiny Prints will mail out your cards if you upload contact info. Okay, so they won’t be signed by hand but sent out is better than sitting in a stack on your desk.)

Christmahanakwanzika?

Some people leave the references to Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza for their personal cards. For more inclusive business cards, you can simply say Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, or focus on New Year’s greeting.

 What to write:

This is a magical time of year, so go light on the sales banter. Think cheer, gratitude, and sarcastic references to fruit cake.

• Happy Holidays and warmest of wishes.

  A little holiday alliteration.

• We wish you the happiest holidays and look forward to a bright 2019.

• Shine on!

  The shine on refers back to bright. Lots of light references can be made to tie into pictures of ornaments, candles, lights.

• Seasons Greetings. May your holidays be merry and bright.

  Classic. Great to reflect visuals of ornaments, fireplaces, etc.

• We hope you sleigh 2019. Have a great year.

  This is about the one time a year a bad pun is okay.

• This was an amazing year of growth. To say thank you and to celebrate, we’ve made a contribution in your honor to The Nature Conservancy (insert cause here).

  Incorporate the message that you’ve made a donation in your customer’s name right into the card.

• We appreciate working with you so much. We can’t wait to see what’s brewing in 2019!

  Use this message when you’re including a Starbucks card. 

• Joy to the world!

  A nice caption showing a picture of whatever your joy is—service, family, friends, art, etc.

• Let there be (peace, peas, pizza, etc) on earth.

  Holiday songs, movies, and traditions are a great source to draw upon.

• Beary Christmas. Merry Catmas, Meowy Christmas, Falalallama. Seasons Bleatings. Mooy Christmas. Fleece Navidad. Happy Howl-i-days.

  Bad animal holiday puns are always appropriate.

Think beyond the card.

SocialPrintStudio offers some innovative products that can make use of photos.

Stickers – Print out sheets of stickers. Each one with a different message. (Think of what you could do with your photos and WordSwag.) 

Tiny Books sent out for Valentines.

Tinybooks – If you’ve completed a long project with a client, upload photos for a Tinybook. (These books feature magnets on the back cover, so I still spy books I sent to clients years later stuck to filing cabinets and desks.)

Ornaments – This photo shows these ornaments with pictures, but imagine what you could do if up created images with text.

Happy holidays. And Happy Writing! :)

Content tacos or content chalupas?

Today is National Taco Day. (And of course, as a San Diego freelance copywriter I have written for several of our most famous taco chains.) My favorite place for tacos is El Indio, where I always order a veggie taco and a fish taco.

All this taco talk reminded me of the content taco concept Mark Schaefer talked about a couple of years ago at Social Media Marketing World. Taco Bell uses only 14 ingredients to make their super extensive menu. But they’re pretty good at throwing in an unexpected ingredient to mix things up.

 For example, Taco Bell’s bread and butter is their taco. You need to eat a couple of hem for a meal. Taco Bell switches up the menu with the Chalupa, which features the same guts of a taco but adds a doughy shell that is fried so what you basically get is a donut taco. (Okay, so not healthy.)

What can you add to make your content different? I add sketchnotes to my content. Maybe you can do 1-minute explainer videos, or 1-minute answer your question videos, or gifs.  Instead of just writing about your 3 services, maybe you interview three different customers that each use a different service.

 What’s in your chalupla?

 Happy writing!   :)

Content vs Copy

Copy does not equal content.

Questions I hear all the time: So are you a content writer? Are you a copywriter? What is a copywriter? Can you help me get a copyright on this idea?

That’s a good question because the terms are used almost interchangeably, but there is a distinct difference. Ask a different writer, and you’ll get a different answer but here’s my take.

(First of all, let’s clear up that copywriting is writing. Copyright refers to protecting intellectual property and is very different than copywriting, but you’d be surprised how many calls I get fo that.)

Content = tell. Copy = sell.

Copy is writing with the intent to inspire action. (Click, purchase, subscribe, retweet, forward, vote, act.) Copy can take the form of landing pages, home pages, social media with intent, videos.

Content is writing that informs, educates, or entertains. Content goes beyond marketing, websites, record companies, movie studios, and television networks all are in the business of content. Content can be text, video, movies, music, cartoons, or GIFS. Many writers who were once journalists have made the jump to be content writers. They know how to interview people and tell engaging stories.

Copy is a subset of content.

Yep, copy lies inside the larger circle of content but there is specialization. Some content writers have not mastered the art of persuasive copy. Some copywriters are all about the sale and lack the softness of enticement that makes successful content. Some writers get certified through online copywriting courses. Other copywriters rise up through the ranks at ad agencies/design studios/interactive agencies and gain experience on how to collaborate with art directors, graphic designers, and UX designers for a greater integration of design and copy

There isn’t always a clear definition between copy and content. A sales page can gently entice you to action. A blog post can end with a call to action. So even though there is an overlap,  you should find the writer best fit for a job.

Happy writing!  :)

Anne McColl a creative copywriter on a mission to banish B.S. (That’s Business Speak and it doesn’t mean a thing.) She helps brands, people, and startups find the words + pictures they need to tell their story to connect to their customers. For updates on storytelling for business, subscribe at annemccoll.com/newsletter.
 

How to sell an idea.

So you have a new product that you want to introduce, but you don't know where to start? This week I taught a copywriting workshop and and presented a framework on how to sell an idea. Students were able to talk about their businesses with a new degree of confidence! it works!

How to sell an idea.

The setting.

Describe the world today or the setting or context. Or describe who you are helping. Give a little background. You can tell a story or give a few statistics to illustrate your point.

More and more of us are working for ourselves. In a study, Freshbooks, an online accounting software for independent workers, says the number will triple to 42 million people by 2020.

The problem.

Describe the problem that the audience or who you’re trying to help is having. It's real easy to get bogged down in the problem. You don't have to tell all the problems, just one. The problem shouldn't be the longest part of this post.

But the problem is many of these newly independent copywriters, graphic designers, web developers, and analysts have all mastered their professional skills, but they may not have mastered what it takes to grow their business. They enjoy working at home but also report that they feel like they’re thrashing about, losing jobs because they don’t know how to get new clients, close a deal, and retain clients.

What could be.

Describe a world where this problem doesn’t exist. Paint a visual picture (below, waking up in the middle of the night.)

Imagine if you enjoyed all the benefits of self-employment without waking up in the middle of the night wondering where your next client will come from.

The solution

Share your product or idea and how it will solve the problem. Be sure to offer each feature as a benefit. For example

The Freelancers Union will take you from survive mode to thrive mode. It’s a place where other freelancers share what they’ve learned so you don't have to make the same mistakes. It offers discounts on health insurance to relieve that stress. And workshops on how to grow your business in a strategic way.

Reward

How will the audiences‘ s life improve after your solution becomes reality. This is a the place to give a result or a testimony.

Julie reports that she was able to transform 50% more inquiries into a contract as a result of a Freelancer Union class. “The small investment has paid for itself many times over!

Enjoy your job. Take control of your destiny. And have a thriving business.

The call to action,

Be specific in your ask.

Sign up for a membership today.

I hope this helps. Feel to free to share your story with me!

Have a great week!

#smmw recap: How to be more human? Go live on video.

So when Zuckerberg announced the big adjustment to the Facebook algorithm, marketers dubbed the changes "Facebook Apocalypse." Guess what everyone was talking about at this year's Social Media Marketing World? That's right! Facebook Zero! Facebook Apocalypse!

Michael Stelzner summed it up in his keynote: "We've been about numbers too long." But what's the best way to communicate with people? Video! Go live on Facebook. Use Instagram stories. 

How to create a 1-minute live video.

Sure thing, we're all supposed to go live, but that can be pretty intimidating. Here's an easy format to follow to create short videos on Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, Twitter or Linkedin that Dennis Yu and Logan Young of Blitzmetrics shared.

1. Tell a story. There's no opening bumper. No introducing yourself. Begin with a short story to illustrate a point.

2. State the problem. Link the story you just told to a problem that you're going to solve.

3. Introduce the solution. Offer up your answer to their problem. It can be a product, a service, a blog post, etc.

4. Call to action. What are they supposed to do? Make a purchase? Read a blog post? Enter your email address? Share? Click? Like?

Here is my first attempt at a Live Video in response to Dennis Yu's challenge. Why don't you take a try?

Below you'll find my sketchnotes from all the sessions I attended. I'll share more in the upcoming weeks.

#SMMW18 Social Media Marketing World 2018 Sketchnotes from Anne McColl

If you liked what you found here, subscribe to my newsletter for more on creative storytelling for business.

Do I have to blog?

So many times when I’m helping a client redo their website we arrive at the blog page. And then there is a deep sigh.

“Do I have to blog?”

The answer is no, you don’t.

Now, of course, there are reasons why you could blog.:

• Blogging consistently makes you become a better writer—and a better thinker

• All the fresh content can help your SEO like nothing else

• When potential visitors visit your site they can learn more.

But despite all this, if you don’t want to blog, don’t feel pressure to put one on your website. There is nothing lamer than a blog with one post from three years ago that says, “Welcome to my blog.”

Thoughts instead of a blog.

Instead, consider putting up a thoughts section. There might be a few questions that your new clients ask you again and again. Spend time and answer those questions in a thorough manner.

We call this evergreen content, meaning that it has a longer shelf life.

This is the Thoughts section on the website of Jessica Hische, a well known graphic designer who speaks at a many national graphic industry events and is over inundated with email.

She has a short list of a few long articles that cover what people want to know: How to get freelance work, how to price projects, how to get paid, and how to say no to clients.

It’s better spend time on a few pieces of content than a half-assed job blogging.

I was talking to a residential architectural designer in my writing class who isn’t going to blog. However, she is developing a few articles on how to select a designer and about her design process. She shares photos of recent projects on Instagram and brings her Instagram feed onto her site.

So if blogging is just going to be one of those things you “should do” but never will, this San Diego freelance copywriter suggests that you put your efforts on something else that will benefit your business better.

Happy writing. :)

Monster Mashup: Mixing it up to create new ideas.

Can creativity be taught.

Well, yes and no. Coming up with “creative ideas” is a skill that can improve with time. And one of the basics of concepting new ideas is two mix two familiar ideas to create a third new one. Call it the creative mashup if you will.

And that’s what my family did on Halloween. We participated in a trunk or treat at our church, an event where people decorate their cars and costumes in a parking lot and the neighborhood kids visit. We were Skarif or Bust, a Star Wars visits the tropics theme. We had surfboards and a jet tail on the Millennium Van. I was Princess Lei. (Creative mashup + bad pun.)

So what are examples of creative mashups?

Night before Christmas + Halloween

Classic movie monsters + high school drama

Santa Claus + Halloween

So the next time you're trying to come up with an idea for a blog post, promotion or even a Halloween costume, try mashing it up!

Happy writing!  :)

Scaling your story for social media.

I had the pleasure of being the guest on Dr. Mary Beth McCabe's Social Media / Mobile Marketing webinar series.

Catch the webinar here.

We talked about:

• How the advertising/marketing game has changed
• More businesses have the tools, but they still need the know how
• Storytelling draws you in by your emotions
• Scaling your story for social media
• Social media platforms are tactics, not strategy
• We also talked a little bit about my graphic recording practice
• The importance of simplifying ideas in a 24/7 world
• Sketching is a took for thinking.

Of course I made a sketchnote after our discussion.

Beating the Facebook algorithm, bots, and the perfect size at Social Media Marketing World #smmw17.

Social Media Marketing World 2017 happened again in San Diego for the 5th time. As it's grown, the conference has continued to deliver a very personalized experience. 

Live video rules Facebook.

Social Media Examiner founder Michael Stelzner confirmed that yes, Facebook still rules marketing. But with more competition, how do you rise to the top of the algorithm? Facebook Live! Right now if  you roadcast on Facebook Live, that event will rise to the top of notifications.  Charlene Johnson encourages brands to go live now before Facebook begins charging for this feature.

One size to rule them all.

With 85% of brands using visuals in their marketing and 41% of brands utilizing visuals as a primary marketing tactic, more visuals are getting posted across more platforms. This requires a significant investment of time to resize images. Sizing an image to 1600x800 with 160 padding performs well in multiple networks. The floating border may contain content but not essential text or logos. 

Humans love bots.

The bots are here and people love them! Bots are an inexpensive way to boost customer service. They can actually provide more human service by remembering what you previously bot. Blake Morgan reports that 37% of shoppers will buy from a bot for an average of $56 per purchase and that number will only increase in the future.

Below you'll find sketchnotes of the sessions I've attend. Over the years I've seen mega media moguls like Jay Baer and Chris Brogan (ha I even know the punchline to many of Chris's jokes) so I enjoyed seeing speakers that I haven't heard before. One of the great things about #smmw17 is that every session was recorded so you can go back and see the session you couldn't attend in person.

And while February 28, 2018 might seem like a long time away, if you register today, you'll enjoy a big fat discount of $700.00. (No, I'm not getting a commission, but taking advantage of this heavy discount now makes it possible.)

#smmw17 Social Media Marketing World 2017 Sketchnotes from Anne McColl

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Happy writing!  :)

The Power of Story in Star Wars

When George Lucas started to pen the screenplay for Star Wars he had visions of a sweeping galactic tale. After two long drafts, he still had trouble focusing on a story. He revisited Joseph Cambell's Hero's Journey that plotted common elements of myth and legend in his book A Hero With a Thousand Faces.

A with that framework he was able to craft Episode 4: A New Hope. Nancy Duarte plots out A New Hope according to the Hero's Journey in her book Resonate.

Ordinary World – Life as it is.
We meet Luke, a farm boy on the desert planet of Tantooine. Luke looks to the skies and dreams of adventure.

Call to Adventure – The protagonist is called to action, to create change.
Luke buys R2D2 and watches a hologram of a beautiful princess crying for help. (Ewww, it’s his sister!)

Refusal of the Call – Clinging to the status quo.
Luke whines, “I can’t,” when Obi-wan asks Luke to join him.

Meet the Mentor – A mentor challenges our hero.
Obi-wan gives Luke his father’s light saber and tells him about the Jedi knights.

Cross the Threshold – Ready for change.
Luke’s Uncle and Aunt are killed by stormtroopers. No reason to stay on this sandy planet.

Test, Allies & Enemies – The building of your team. Meeting the enemy.
Luke and Obi-wan hire Han and Chewie. They have to evade stormtroopers to leave the planet.

Approach the Innermost Cave – Personal growth.
On board the Falcon, Obi-wan teaches Luke about the Force. (“I don’t need no hokey religions or ancient weapons,” says Han.) They approach something that isn’t a moon.

Ordeal – Our heroes face a challenge.
The boys dress as stormtroopers and rescue the princess.

Reward (Seizing the Sword) – The team comes together.
Only by working together can Luke, Han, Chewie and the princess escape the garbage chute.

The Road Back – More obstacles.
They evade more stormtroopers, Obi-wan fights Darth Vader, sacrificing himself to create a distraction so the others can escape.

Resurrection – Final attempt at big change.
As Luke flies his X-wing towards the Death Star, he hears Obi-wan’s voice telling him to use the Force, and take the lucky shot that destroys the Death Star.

The Return – Returning to a new reality.
The princess gives the boys medals of honor. Peace.

Try using the Hero’s Journey when you’re writing a pitch or a profile for a sense of drama that leaves people wanting to hear more.

Happy Star Wars Day! And Happy Writing!

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