Tuesday, November 16, 2010

How to write better Email that retains the reader?

The 13 points which will hold a reader, who is making a choice of what to read from the numerous emails flooding his in-box -
   1. Ask the 4 Key Questions before you begin to write -
          * What am I selling (at emotional level)?
          * To whom am I selling?
          * Why am I selling this now (will it make sense to the customer)?
          * What do I want my reader to do (Calls to Action)?
   2. Consider Your Font Style: Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Verdana and Helvetica, are easier to read online than serif. If people find it difficult to read your copy, they won't!
   3. Read Your Copy out loud: This will help you hear what your readers hear.
   4. Cut the Clutter: William Zinsser wrote that "clutter is the disease of American writing." The quickest way to improve your copy is by removing any uneccesary words such as "that"or "to."
   5. Use the Rhythm of 3: List your examples in groups of three. The Rhythm gives a great cadance to your copy.
   6. Use Bucket Brigade Words: Bucket brigade words help you move your copy forward. They include remember, and, but, consider, however, for example..and more!
   7. Vary Sentence Length: It is important to vary your sentence length to hold your reader's attention. And don't be afraid to use sentence fragments - this isn't your college English class!
   8. Differentiate Between Features vs. Benefits: Features are what the product has. Benefits are what it will provide the customers. The customer will always ask, "What's in it for me?" Be sure you tell them.
   9. Write In the Second Person: Focus on one person (you/your) rather than a group (our customers). This makes your reader feel special and highlights how the product can benefit them.
  10. Write Less Copy: People read 25% slower online than offline, so you need to write less copy so they will read it.
  11. Don't Hide Your Key Points: Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs, bullets and lists.
  12. Keep Paragraphs Short: Make sure your paragraphs are no more than 3 lines long. Otherwise you might lose your reader's attention.
  13. Remember Odd vs. Even: Odd numbers are easier to remember than even, so use an odd number whenever possible.
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SreeRam, Communications Consultant, Chennai, India.
9340006600, nathansmedia@gmail.com
MARCOM BLOG -  http://marketing-communications-ksr.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK - http://bit.ly/nmg_fb
LINKED IN -  http://in.linkedin.com/in/ksr960
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

PR nightmare vs Opportunity PR - on Social media


UNITED BREAKS GUITARS - How a PR nightmare for United Airlines became a dream-come-true PR opportunity for Taylor Guitars

The PR Nightmare for United Airlines
The song "United breaks Guitars" made YouTube history in 6th July 2009 by garnering 1,50,000 views within a day.  Since then it has propelled a little known musician to big time, Dave Carroll -who today has become synonymous with a disgruntled customer taking on a big corporation - the typical David vs. Goliath story which public love.
It all started with some baggage handlers' negligence in an airport. (If you are not already familiar with what actually triggered this fiasco, click on this). 
Anyway, this is NOT about how United Airlines mishandling of a customer grouse has made viral-marketing case history with 9.4 million views and many TV shows
This is about
How Taylor Guitars created the PR opportunity
In a classic case of ambush marketing, Taylor Guitars reacted really fast. They put on their own YouTube video on 10th July 2009, within 4 days of "United breaks guitars" coming online.
In this video Bob Taylor reassures all guitarists how they can restore their damaged instruments. He also guides guitarists to the company website where advice on transporting guitars and airlines' policy are available. Bob goes further to promise support for even guitars of other make!
That’s pretty efficient.. considering within 48 hours they sensed an opportunity, wrote a neat script, probably updated their website, shot the video in the factory, which makes it very credible.
And till date (1 Nov 2010) this video has got more than 0.5 million views and the positive vibes are evident from the viewer comments.
Forget Crisis PR for the moment. Let’s talk Opportunity PR
Tons of advice is available on handling disappointed customers. Especially I have hinted at negative repercussions of Social media earlier. I may probably add more tips on Crisis management using social media later. But this article is more to highlight the other perspective - that’s jumping at a remote opportunity and getting a positive rub-off using social media.
What’s evident is Taylor Guitars has been active on social media since 2007, going by their YouTube channel establishment. They give tremendous visibility to musicians with Taylor road shows. These road shows are also featured on YouTube and promoted in FaceBook.
The inference is Taylor Guitars seem to have invested some dedicated resources for social media. This makes sense, since creative professionals and musicians relate to social messages more intensely, than a left-brained professional.
And its evident Taylor Guitar kept its eyes and ears sharp with constant monitoring of the web-landscape. So when "United breaks guitars" video started gaining viral popularity, they were able to identify an opportunity to seize and leverage it asap.
SreeRam, Communications Consultant, Chennai, India.
9340006600, nathansmedia@gmail.com
MARCOM BLOG -  http://marketing-communications-ksr.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK - http://bit.ly/nmg_fb
LINKED IN -  http://in.linkedin.com/in/ksr960
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam