Don’t do it. You don’t need clichés, especially in advertising copy. They are lazy. “For all your toe shoe needs,” “sale ends soon,” “the tent is up, the prices are down.” Ick. We don’t need a study to know audiences mentally tune out at these trite idiocies, we tune out ourselves. Where’s the inspiration? Where’s the motivation? Why are we wasting resources creating this waste of time?

The intent of this post was to provide a list of some clichés and provide alternatives. But in assembling this article we learned that the vast majority of cliché’s used in commercials come because the copywriter is ‘telling’ the audience, instead of ‘showing’ them something.

Here’s an example: instead of telling the listener that the advertiser is “the home of fun for the whole family,” give them the sounds, the images, the lingual inspiration that brings them into the ad, participating as part of the ad where they can see themselves and their family having fun. This is best done in audio, where the listener can picture themselves and their family having that fun, instead of in supplied visuals like TV and online. The only goal: show, don’t tell.

Show, don’t Tell

Instead of telling the listener the advertiser has “savings throughout the store,” use the visual abilities of audio, your blog, your landing page to show savings throughout the store. Instead of telling the listener to “hurry on in before we run out,” show the shortage, the demand, maybe even the disappointment of someone who missed out (though make sure the prospect doesn’t think they are too late).

Of course I know the time constraints on copywriters, too – so here’s a (by no means complete) list of cliché’s that you may be asked to include, what listeners/readers think you mean, and maybe an alternative or two to make the copy better.

“It’s customer appreciation time.” Listener’s reaction: “What? You didn’t appreciate me all the other times I shopped your store?” How about: Thanks to your loyalty, we can save you another 15 percent through Tuesday.”

“It’s savings time.” Oh, so you’ve been overcharging me for years. (This reminds me of the big mall anchor stores like Sears, Kohls, and JC Penney. They advertise big Saturday sales, and in effect are telling their customers to wait until Saturday to shop, otherwise, you’re being over-charged.)

“Located at” Just drop this. 9.9 times out of 10 it is just excess verbiage.

“Going on now.” Of course it's going on now or you wouldn’t be advertising it, or you’d provide a specific date. And make sure when a sale or special is to be over the copy lets listeners know exactly when it will be over. Sale ends January 5th, never “sale ends soon”.

“Sale ends soon.” This has zero motivation to move people to action. This is an attempted plea for immediacy, yet fails to provide any. Without a firm deadline readers and listeners will think they have time to shop until they stop seeing and hearing the ad. But the advertiser stops the spot when the sale is over. So the listener forgets there was a sale they were interested in because they thought they had time because the “sale ends soon”. Always use a firm date.

“They won’t last long.” The listener thinks: you either didn’t order enough, or the product has been discontinued. Thanks, but I’ll wait for the upgraded version. Maybe: “These are the last of version 2.9, and they are priced to save you money.”

“We service what we sell.” You had better. If this needs mentioning, the client has other significant perception problems that need to be addressed with the advertising. Alternative: “Should you have a problem, bring it back, we’ll make it right.”

“Service second to none.” What are they are trying to say? Maybe they are the best at what they do? Show it. Use testimonials with real people, not actors or “air personalities”.

“Its inventory/St. Patrick’s Day/holiday/clearance/bargain/sale/whatever time…” Can you say “ad coming, let my mind wander”? Remember when local car dealers got the bright idea to mumble the disclaimer at the front of a radio spot? Listeners soon realized a high-pressure yelling car spot was coming and changed the station. If you don't remember that, its 'cause of the same reason. It didn't work.

“Our people make the difference” or “friendly, knowledgeable staff.” Instead show the friendly, knowledgeable staff. Show the listener how your people make the difference.

Reap the profits when you avoid the clichés and needless words.

Define “Convenient”

Have we included clichés in copy from time to time? Only on client demand. One demanded “conveniently located” in his commercial for farm tractors. Never mind that the reason he was on our station was so his spot would be heard for dozens of miles, and at night for hundreds of rural miles; and his business was not “conveniently located” for everyone. Yet he insisted because he was “Just 6 miles off the Interstate at exit 2B.” How is that convenient to rural farmer farmers across 120 miles of signal coverage? Those few seconds could have been better-used showing.

Ad pros can only protest so much before the lure of the dollar sign pushes management to approve the ad. I expect you know what that’s like.

Conclusion

But there are alternatives, and the key is education. Teach the advertiser the value of each second of air-time, of the reader’s time, and show them how the power of words makes his product relatable, desirable, and necessary. Ads are more powerful when they skip the cliché.

A list of commercial clichés/babble to avoid: https://voicecreative.com/cliches/

Networking is the daily currency of an entrepreneur. For some of us networking is fun, but for others it’s a struggle. And I get it, the whole introvert/extrovert thing. But let’s face it, without networking it’s hard to find a consistency of clients.

I’m an introvert myself, but I was able to overcome my anti-socialness (if that’s even a word), and it made all the difference in helping me to grow my clientele within my business. There are several “dos and don’ts” when networking, but today we’ll focus on 5 tips for conversion networking.

1. Listen First

People love to talk about themselves, so let them talk. Starting a conversation with intentions of being a great listener, allows you to make better connections with others. You’re able to get a better understanding of who they are and what their business is about. It also allows you to direct the conversation and easily find common interests with one another.

2. Provide Value

Give before you ask. Being a great resource for others, makes you a valuable person. You should always share your purpose, rather than your passions when networking. Purpose is a more wholesome topic, it describes your service to humanity and your reason for existence. It’s a powerful way to make genuine connections with others because you’re sharing something so personal, yet inspiring and intriguing. It creates admiration of your character over your accomplishments. Remember, your passion is for you, your purpose is for others.

3. Follow Up

Once the networking event is over, the social setting is gone, and the high emotions has wore off, people forget to reconnect with the people they’ve met. This is a BIG mistake that most people make. Always take the initiative to reach out via email, phone, or social media to reconnect. This is KEY in converting networking into a relationship.

4. Create Trust

It takes time to gain someone’s trust, but a second to destroy it. Good character and authenticity, amongst other characteristics creates trust. When discussing your capabilities, clientele, and accomplishments be honest and transparent. We all have long-term goals for our businesses to be super successful, and if you’re not at that point yet, it’s okay. Demonstrate respect, show loyalty, clarify any expectations, practice accountability and keep your commitments. Staying consistent with these attributes and your network will likely entrust you for your services.

5. Build Relationships

The saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and neither are relationships. Stay in touch with the people you’ve networked with, weeks and months after you’ve connected with them. Ask them how’s business and how their day is going. Schedule a meet-up date with them for coffee, lunch, or even dinner. If you happen to follow them on social media, like/comment on their posts and celebrate their successes. Show that you actually care and make friends.

Whether networking virtually and/or in-person is up to you, just make sure you’re out there connecting with others. And remember, people work with who they know, like and trust. 

As always, “Stay Intuitive!”

It’s no secret that your small business marketing strategy is what makes or breaks your brand.

With over 80% of customers admitting that they do online research before making a purchase, it’s crucial to get your business’s info out there. But in today’s crowded marketplace, how do you find the strategies that actually work?

Though there are countless marketing fads that come and go, we’ve put together a list of tried-and-tested strategies that can help your brand stand out. Read on to learn more.

1. Hone Your Target Audience

It’s always important to know who you’re talking to, but honing your target audience is even more crucial for small businesses than for larger brands. Figuring out who you should focus your limited time and resources attracting can ensure you’re getting leads you can actually convert.

If you haven’t already done so, take the time to figure out who you’re targeting. Consider your niche, get your hands on demographic data, and work on creating buyer personas that help you understand who to attract.

2. Craft Compelling Content

In a digital landscape that’s awash in brands like yours, the best way to cut through the noise is to create compelling content. In fact, it’s easy to argue that failing to follow this step might sabotage all of your other efforts!

Relevant, helpful, high-quality content is attention-grabbing, which is exactly what you need. Whether you’re drafting thoughtful opinion pieces on your blog, creating helpful infographic tutorials, or launching fun but relevant videos on TikTok, make sure you’re showcasing what your brand offers.

This is where the step above comes in: knowing who you’re talking to makes it easier to create content they’ll love and want to share. For small Houston businesses, don’t forget that creating a local content strategy that positions your brand as a leader within the area is a great way to stand out.

3. Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

You’d be shocked at how many small businesses fail to take advantage of Google.

Instead of leaving Google to guess what your brand has to offer—even if it would be an educated guess, given Google’s ability to pull info from other networks and directories—why not tell it yourself?

Optimizing your GBP profile allows you to share info about your brand with local searchers using Google. It even makes it more likely that your company info will appear at the top of a local search! You can also use your GBP to showcase photos, events, discounts, and more.

4. Stand Out With SEO

If you’re trying to ramp up your Houston marketing efforts without this step, you may as well not even bother! SEO is what helps small businesses get found online, and though it can be tricky to compete with larger, established brands, there are plenty of strategies that can give you an edge.

When paired with content marketing, SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways to get more site visitors and leads, especially with the explosion of mobile search in recent years. Even better, Google wants to provide relevant and helpful results, so its algorithm often favors local brands.

5. Advertise Online

While this strategy will cost more upfront than long-term SEO tactics, the immediate results make it well worth your time.

There’s a caveat here, as you might expect: if you’re hoping to beat the local competition and raise your ROI, it’s crucial to know your audience. Creating tailored ads that appear on the platforms where your audience spends its time is key. The most popular online ad tools include Google Ads and Facebook Ads, both of which allow you to target specific niches.

6. Start an Email Campaign

Sure, the humble email has been around for decades now. But did you know it’s still offering one of the highest ROIs of all types of marketing for small businesses, hovering at around $36 for every $1 spent?

Better still, especially for busy entrepreneurs, is the fact that email campaigns are easy to automate. Though you’ll have to invest time and money up front in creating valuable content, today’s online tools make it easy to send future emails to leads and customers at the perfect time.

7. Network With Local Brands

This is a tried-and-tested marketing strategy for good reason: it really works! Connecting with other Houston businesses is a great opportunity to share tips and insights, collaborate, and promote each other’s goods and services.

There are countless small business expos in Houston throughout the year, as well as regular events via sites like Meetup. However, don’t hesitate to reach out to other brands directly or to connect with them online!

8. Partner With an Influencer

We’re not necessarily talking about influencers with followers in the hundreds of millions. When it comes to small brands, finding micro-influencers within your specific niche can be a great way to promote yourself in a way that feels organic to their followers.

This partnership may involve reaching out to an influencer marketing agency, or you might find it easier to reach out to an influencer directly. Even a single promotional post can offer a massive increase in visibility and sales, as long as the influencer’s followers include your target audience.

9. Offer Freebies and Discounts

Everyone loves getting something for free—even if it means leaving you with their contact details.

Freebies and discounts can be a great way to build up your list of email subscribers and leads, and you can do it right from your website.

Note, of course, that you’ll have to offer up something valuable in return, which is where that “compelling content” often comes in. No matter your brand, there are plenty of great lead magnet marketing strategies for small businesses to try. E-books, guides, PDF templates, quizzes, demos, webinars, and even special discounts can be powerful ways to attract your audience.

Let Us Boost Your Small Business Marketing Efforts

Growing your digital presence can feel like an uphill battle—but it doesn’t have to be that way. When you don’t have time to research and implement the key solutions above, our team is here to help!

We’ve helped multiple brands boost their online presence fast, and we’re happy to discuss what we can do for you. Get in touch with us to learn more.

An SEO strategy can improve your online presence and traffic for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. But unfortunately, 70% of small businesses don’t have an SEO content marketing strategy.

There are several content marketing SEO strategies small companies should employ. Some examples are keyword targeting, link building, and content creation. However, it can be several months before any results are seen.

If you are scratching your head asking, “SEO content, what now?” then keep reading. We will explain how SEO content marketing can improve your online status and how your business can benefit.

What Is SEO Content Marketing?

To answer this, we have to split the question into “SEO” and “content marketing.” So let’s address SEO first.

The technical term for SEO is “Search Engine Optimization,” which is an effort to increase the quality of traffic to your website. That means getting as many visitors to your site as possible.

SEO and content marketing go hand in hand as a way to connect to your readers. This is accomplished by creating meaningful content that is insightful and educational so your reader knows why they should take action.

Your content is generated based on keywords gathered at the beginning of your SEO strategy. Typically, this will be industry-specific. This encourages customers to engage with links and call-to-actions, keeping them interested in your site longer.

What Are The Benefits?

There are multiple benefits to having a solid content marketing plan in place. First, by offering customers what they are looking for while they are searching for it, content marketing drives sales.

It Allows You to Direct the Conversation

One thing that online shopping lacks is the ability to talk to your customers and help them choose your product. If you tailor your online content around educating your would-be customers, this assists them with making purchasing decisions that benefit your company and not the competitors.

It Increases Your Social Media Following

If someone finds content on your website interesting or helpful, they’re more likely to share it and follow you on other platforms like Facebook or Instagram. If you keep delivering quality, informative content, you’ll gain more loyal followers.

It Improves Your Online Visibility

When your content focuses on your product or service, the people reading your article will likely visit those pages to see your offering. Additionally, conveniently linking to your products increases the likelihood of this happening.

It Improves Your Site’s “Street Cred”

Writing helpful content is not only for the customers’ benefit. For example, if you write good-quality blog content, other websites will hyperlink to your content. And the more you’re credited by backlinks; the more Google is interested in offering you as a first-page result.

Your Audience Will Visit Longer

When you have excellent content that readers find helpful, the chances are high that they will click around your site to see what other information you have. Pairing this up with targeted ads sprinkled around your website can also encourage readers to make a purchase while they’re on your site browsing.

It Builds Trust

Customers who have found your website informative are more likely to trust your brand. It is easier for your audience to trust you as a source of advice and recommendations if you create value for them without expecting anything in return. This also builds customer loyalty.

Trust Our SEO Content Marketing Experts

When you have a good SEO content strategy, it will provide your business with great content that is, above all, helpful to customers. This same content will gain your customers’ trust and loyalty and, in turn, more followers.

The good news is that to benefit from SEO content marketing; you don’t have to learn all this yourself. Instead, reach out to us for more information on our services, such as SEO management, organic SEO services, local search and social media advertising, and custom web design.

Yes! Blogging is absolutely still relevant in 2022. In fact, roughly 450 million internet users read about 22 billion blog pages monthly. This is why 55% of marketers prioritize blogging as their primary content marketing strategy

Here are some crucial tips for your Blogging

1. Identify Your Content Target
Before starting your blog , determine what subject matter your audience would find imporant, relevant and interesting.  Before you begin, don't forget these 3 questions. Make certain you answer “sure” to all 3:

• Will my blog content benefit my target audience? (Your article needs to have a good takeaways for the reader.)
• Do I have some thing new or intersting to share on this topic? (“new” can be your very own experience. Tell a story about your experince or how you helped someone to provide them a better experience. 
• Do I have a clear understanding of who my audience is? (Keep the profile of your target market in mind. Write as if you were talking to a member of your target audience one on one and in person.)

2. Write a Capivating Headline
How do you get people to begin reading your article?  Pull them into your article with an effective headline.
The headline is where the journey begins. Your intention is to get the reader to travel down your article to the closing statement and Call to Action.  Remember that your  published blog headline is the primary hook people will see and make a decesion to read further.  It will be the breadcrumb that will be seen in:

• Your website blog archives
• Social media
• Search Engine Results
• Emails sent out to promote the blog.

A capivating headline works in any channel in which on your potential targeted readers discover them. There are a few specific techniques to help craft the best headline. You won`t need to use all of those with each headline. 

Here are some successful headline writing strategies:

Benefits Focused headline - When a person discovers your headline via a website browser search or social media share.  If they see that the information can provide them some benfit or advantage, there`s a very good chance they will click on in your hyperlink to discover ans read your blog.
Dog lovers are going to click on headlines like “Airline Travel Tips for Traveling with Your Dog” Another headline used in popular bolgs about dogs may be "People Foods That are Healthy Choices to Supplement Your Dog's Diet"

Question Focused headline -
Using a question like “What Should You Do if Your Dog Has Eaten Chocolate?" sparks interest and curiosity. Questions are even more powerful when they are written as if talking to one individual. I’m a big proponent of using the word “you” in blog copy. 

Choose Power Words -
There are certain  words which have been used to capture people`s interest for many years.  Free remains a powerful word in a headline, due to the fact getting some thing for nothing creates an automated reaction in many humans.

Here are some more Power Words to make your headlines more capivating:

• Secrets –always alluring to people. We want to know what others don’t know.
• Easy – people are obviously attracted to the path of least resistance. “3 Easy Steps” attracts readers` in. 
• Discover – Who doesn`t like to “discover” things? Whether it`s a buried treasure or a brand new life hack you didn`t know that will  make your life easier, this phrase works.

These Power Words can be used to create a a detailed phrase of controversy or debate. In reality a controversy  can pull in readers. You might not consider this at first, however bloggers that try and please every body  get less readers. Many successful bloggers will take a controversial stance on a subject but making sure to back-up their position with good examples and facts.

3. Creating the Opener
Your headline has captured your target audience and they are beginning to read your blog. There are strategies you can use to insure they read the entire article. 

One is to again write a compelling question….same approach as using a question in your headline. Just don’t use this one if you already have a question in the headline. That feels redundant.

Sales professionals, both in-person reps and copywriters, use a method recognized as “Getting your prospect to YES ”.  What I mean by a YES question is asking the reader something that pretty much guarantees the reader will say yes—“Do you want to make more money next month?” or “Are you ready to find the success you deserve?” These are two examples.
Yes questions grow enagemnt of the reader to the contnet of your article, encouraging readers to continue.If you plant numerous YES questions via your copy, the reader may be a great deal greater receptive on your CTA.

Another approach to kicking off your article is by springing a surprise on them—say something unusual or share a story about a topic you don’t discuss much—“We found the greatest dod when we heard our neighbor's dog had puppies" grabs the reader with a personal story. As long as your opener relates to the topic of the article, your reader will read on.

You could also start with a benefit that your reader will want to know. Finding the right benefit requires an understanding of your blog audience. The more you research your target audience, the quicker you will know their needs.

At some point you will want to test opening your article with a statistic or two. If I started out a blog post with “3 out of 4 Bloggers Succeed Using this Little Known Tool,” you would likely want to read more.

Of course, there’s a reason why most blogs include a eye-catching image at the beginning…photos and illustrations grab attention. If you find a photo that compliment the topic and is interesting your article will be a winner.

4. The Close: Finish Strong

Getting your article off to a great start is important….and so is how you finish.  Hooking your reader into a post and then losing them half way hurts the success of the blog. 

Know Your Article's Goals - Do you know what you want to achieve before you start writing? This really helps your writing process if you begin with the end in mind. 

Ask yourself these questions to help pinpoint the goal of the article:

• What’s the main point to communicate?
• What do you want the reader to do after they finish reading?
• What emotions do you want the reader to feel?
• What’s the take away your reader gains from this post?

Close with a Call to Action - CTA

Thing of CTAs as  friendly reminders and helpful encouragements. Some  bloggers don’t understand how a call to action works and how to put them into their blog article. When the blogger learns  the skill of treating readers with respect and friendliness, they discover many of their readers are happy to respond to their requests…

• More comments on your blog post? Ask readers to comment.
• Taking an informal survey about something blog related? Ask readers to participate in the survey.
• More email subscribers? Encourage readers to opt-in.
• Have something to sell? Share with them the benefit to buying now. Include a deadline to create urgency or make a special offer of some kind to get more interest.

Your call-to-action should has these traits:

• Stays on target with your blog post goals
• One or maybe two calls to action.  Don't use more then two!
• Keep the CTA simple. A complicated call to action gets few results.
• Make your CTA have impact. Use a larger font. Even bold it.  Treat it like a subhead of headline.
• Try different locations in your artile for your CTA.  Many times the call to action works well at the end. But occasionally place it in the middle or even up front so it doesn’t become predictable and easily ignored.

Once your CTA is finished and then you have edited and proofed your article to satisfaction… Publish it. Share it every where you have potential readers, colleagues and influencers who may share it with their networks.  Then get planning on your next blog.

• Are you a business owner or sales professional who needs more referrals?
• Are you frustrated generating leads?
• Do you hate making cold calls?

If you answered yes, to these questions, then Network in Action is for you!

Network in Action is a coalition of like-minded business owners who come together to help each other grow our business through networking. Relationships through NIA helps you to get known, get connected, and get paid!

Here are 7 ways networking can help you to grow your business:

1. Connect you with like-minded entrepreneurs.
2. Build real relationships that last a lifetime.
3. Create a community to support you when entrepreneurship gets hard.
4. Get more warm referrals that close more often.
5. Technology that keeps you connected between monthly meetings.
6. Become a franchisee or a group leader.
7. Help more people get what they want to get what you want.

When building a business, you have a few choices. You can cold call, purchase expensive social media ads or you can learn to network and build relationships to grow your business. Network in Action can help you to reach your goals and ultimately change your business and your life!

NIA is growing globally. Learn how NIA pays you to be a leader, a connector, and a center of influence that inspires others to help one another to grow.

For more information on becoming a member or a leader of an NIA
network, contact me today! 

Toni Harris Taylor | NIANortheastHouston.com
713.387.9273 | Toni@NetworkinAction.com

Digital Marketing takes many forms, however, one of the most used formats has been retargeting online. When someone visits your website tagging them with a cookie is common so when they go back out on the web you can show them a nice image ad. Cookies are going away as privacy concerns and abuses have increased. Consumers shy away from sites that may compromise their personal information and need assurance their private information stays private.

Enter FLOC or Federated Learning of Cohorts which is a secure aggregated method for marketers to use first-party data from their customers to help fill in the gaps as well as take advantage of the latest Google technologies. Later this year when many browsers and operating systems on phones and computers begin to block cookies you will need to be ready.

Google made a cartoon strip to help explain this new technology. When you have about 15 minutes take a look and if you have questions, please contact US Marketing, Inc. We'll be happy to help.

Schedule a Meeting with me

Top 4 Print Marketing Strategies for Small and Midsize Business'

THE WOODLANDS, TX - Podcasting is a trend moving upward with alternative platforms and enlarged audiences. Individuals listen to podcasts to learn techniques to grow their business, improve their marketing skills, or hear their favorite authors and motivators. It is so easy to start up your own podcast with the right equipment and platforms for listeners.