Here you will find past issues of my newsletter. Each month I send subscribers a short email containing useful tips to help make your web presence strong and dynamic. If you’d like to receive my newsletter via email, you may subscribe here.
September 2020 – Shifting Priorities
Happy September! I hope you’ve had some space to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather this summer. I spent quite a few sunny days at some of Oregon’s beautiful state parks these last two months.
But as we roll into September we had back to some semblance of a ‘school year’ routine.
It got me thinking about where we are now and how different this year has turned out than what we envisioned back in January. Priorities changed on a dime back in March. And I think a lot of us are still working our way through the impact of that shift.
Shifting priorities can be a good thing – but it’s important to manage the anxiety that change can cause. I offer some tips on building resilience in my latest blog post: Do you struggle with shifting priorities?
As a new school year starts – not exactly as we had expected – I am over here, cheering you on. Keep up the good work!
And if there is anything I can do to help, reach out!
May 2020 – Pandemic Marketing
Have you noticed how marketing communication has shifted during our time at home? Back in March, marketing messages I received were not in alignment with the level of disruption and anxiety in the world. Many contained the same message the company had been using before the pandemic and felt disconnected from our new reality.
In April, messaging shifted and became all about the virus. The sensitivity that was missing in March appeared, but the disconnect continued. In focusing on the virus and its impact on the organization, the messaging lacked reasons to engage with the company. Anxiety levels were still running high and it was easy to move along.
As April turned to May, traditional marketing seems to have resumed. Lately, I’ve seen lots of communications actively selling products and services. But with shelter-in-place mandates continuing, many of us are still feeling like we’re all ‘on hold’. I find myself ignoring most of these invitations to resume buying. How about you?
We still don’t know what ‘normal’ will look like when restrictions around travel and gathering are lifted and businesses reopen. We are collectively waiting to see where this goes (and where we can go!).
As we navigate this new phase, the most effective messages are those that encourage and support.
What resonates right now are those marketing communications that tell me how the organization is helping and invite me into that process. How about you? Have you noticed a shift in the marketing messages you are seeing?
What has your organization’s messaging looked like this month? I hope you’ve been actively reaching out to your community with messages of support and encouragement.
April 2020 – Striking the Right Tone
Wow, what a challenging time we are living through. As the weeks of social distancing stretch on, it feels like so much is ‘on hold’, waiting for this crisis to pass. But while we wait and socially distance, connection is valued more than ever.
Like many, I’ve been spending more time connecting with family and friends (and clients) through Zoom. It has been comforting to maintain these connections while isolated at home. (Although I admit I broke down and cried after last night’s Zoom visit with my grown kids and their kids. So many pent up hugs aching to be shared!)
And when it comes to marketing communications? It’s tempting to pull back and wait. To wait until things get back to normal and then resume our normal marketing. It’s hard to know what to say while the world is in crisis. The usual marketing doesn’t always sit well with the anxiety we are all feeling.
Email messages and even website content needs to strike the right tone. It’s important to stay in touch during this pandemic and equally important that your marketing message isn’t ‘tone deaf’.
These last few weeks I’ve been helping my clients adjust their tone and message – pivoting away from their planned and prepared customer communications, increasing support for social media engagement, and adjusting tone in email messages and on websites to be sensitive to the anxiety we are all feeling right now.
Theresa Gutierrez Jacobs provides a really good explanation of this, along with a checklist for reviewing your website in light of COVID-19 in her blog post What must your website convey right now?
If you haven’t thought about this, check it out. And if you need some help reviewing your email messages or website, I’m here for you.
March 2020 – Are you ready to ride the video tidal wave?
Using video to connect with customers and prospects is a growing trend. On websites, through social media, and even in email, consumers are looking for answers in videos. Are you positioned to add video content to your marketing strategy?
Today I….
Got to the chapter on marketing with video content (current and future) in Marcus Sheridan’s They Ask, You Answer. He says we are in a tidal wave of demand for video from consumers.
It gave me pause, as I have not yet embraced video on my website or in my email communications. (Did you notice? You are receiving this e-newsletter as text, with no link to a video.)
Have you started thinking about moving some of your content from text to video? I’d love to hear your thoughts – are you planning to incorporate video into your marketing strategy? Have you already?
This month’s tip…
If you haven’t yet, start thinking about using video content to get your story out to prospects and customers. Studies show 54% of consumers want to see more video from the businesses they support. Social media is the perfect place to start a video marketing strategy. It’s likely that your customers are looking for more video content on your website, too. Do you have a video marketing strategy?
If you need help with video scripts, let me know. I can help.
What’s crossed my desk…
I spent four days in Oakland, California back in February to attend the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector’s Coaches Training. It was a fabulous three days of reconnecting with Montessori practitioners and diving deep into the value of observation, lesson study, and child study for supporting teachers and building an educational environment that helps both the children and adults thrive.
Has your organization embraced a coaching model for staff development? If not, the NCMPS offers a framework and resources for implementing one. (And you don’t have to be a public Montessori school to benefit from the methods they’ve designed and documented!)
February 2020 – Keeping Up?
Happy February! This month I’ve been focused on updating my website and spent a lot of time making sure I have all the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) in place.
Did you know that the file names of photos on your website are indexed in search engines?
Tip: Make sure you give images a name that includes a useful keyword before you upload them into your WordPress editor. (Bonus tip: Be sure to fill out that alt text box after you upload it. Alt Text tells screen readers what the picture is about and is also indexed.)
Has it been a while since you thought about how your website serves you and your organization? If so, it might be time to give it some thought. My latest blog post is all about keeping your online presence up to date.
Even in just the last few years, websites have evolved. Many organizations are moving to one-page websites that deliver all the information about their organization or business in one long scrolling page. Website design has moved toward pages with much more whitespace, fewer design elements, and less verbiage. This is partly due to the information overload we are all experiencing in the digital world.
It is all aimed at making it easier for visitors to find the answers to their questions. Busy websites, with multiple menu trees and lots of boxes of information on a single page, overwhelm the first-time visitor.
Updating design, layout, and content on your website can help your website visitors find what they are looking for – and that can only mean better engagement with your prospects and customers.
If it’s time to take a look at your website, let me know. I’d be happy to talk with you about it.
January 10, 2020 – A New Name
How about that? A second email from me this week. I just didn’t want to wait to share this news and let you know I am rebranding my business! I am still helping schools, nonprofits, and small businesses keep up with content demands for websites, blogs, email, and social media.
But I am saying goodbye to ‘Branch and Blossom’, a moniker that doesn’t add value or help support my specialty of writing about early childhood development, family support, and parenting education.
My name is Lynne Brown and I’m a writer. From now on you can reach me – and will be hearing from me – at my new email address:
How simple is that?
Here’s to the new decade – may we all find ways to make life simpler for each other.
-Lynne
formerly Branch & Blossom Writing Services
PS My latest blog post is up on the new website. Head on over and check it out:
January 7, 2020 – New Year, New Start
Happy New Year! Happy New Decade. Turning the calendar on a new year puts strategic planning top of mind for me. You too?
I recently finished reading Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. While their focus is on churches, their research – and results – can inform any of us in a business or organization that seeks to reach and engage with people. (And isn’t that all of us?)
The original title of their book was “Process Centered Ministry”. And this is a book about process. (One of my favorite things!)
On doing outreach, they note: “Movement is the sequential steps in the process that cause people to move to greater areas of commitment. Movement is about flow….as the flow of a process increases, so does the potential that people will progress through it. (Simple Church, p72-73)
To increase ‘flow’, remove complexity and ‘noise’ from the process. Use a simple, focused, strategy for moving people from initial interest or curiosity toward greater levels of engagement and participation.
Get simple, they say, when working to engage prospects in your organization’s mission.
A good place to start when working to improve flow is your website. Is your website designed to help visitors move into deeper engagement? Does it help move prospects from initial interest to action and engagement? Are there pages that disrupt this flow, creating complexity that derails the engagement process?
What does your process for engaging prospects look like? Could it be simpler?
Hit reply and let me know – I’d love to hear your plans for 2020!
-Lynne
Branch & Blossom Writing
December 10, 2019 – Happy December
Happy Holidays! In between turkey and inflatable snowmen, here’s what’s crossed my desk this month.
80/20 – The Pareto Principle
Perry Marshall’s 80/20 principle came up again when I attended his webinar with Tim Francis, How to Hire a Great Assistant, a while back. Tim founded GreatAssistant.com after implementing Perry Marshall’s 80/20 principle (80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts) and finding that his business benefited from having a great assistant handle the tasks that took him away from engaging with clients.
It reminded me to be mindful of my own 80/20. Have you looked at your work? What 20% of your efforts are giving you 80% of your results? You can read more about taking advantage of 80/20 here…. The 80/20 Rule – Choosing Where to Focus.
Sleep, and lack of it
While working on a blog post on Sleep Debt for a client, I was reminded of how important getting enough sleep is for both your body and your mind. Without enough sleep, your brain actually slows down. Actually. Slows. Down.
Here’s what happens in the brain when you don’t get enough sleep.
It reminded me to take care to get the sleep I need this holiday season. I hope you will too.
That’s it for now…
Thanks for spending time with me! I hope you found something here that you can take away and apply to your business or your life.
Have a question or comment – or just want to start a conversation? Hit reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
-Lynne
Branch & Blossom Writing
November 13, 2019 – A Note and A Welcome
I am excited to be sharing this inaugural issue of my newsletter with you. You can expect a new issue every month containing tips and topics for keeping your organization’s web presence relevant and current. I hope you find it helpful and useful. Thanks for welcoming me into your inbox.
Who needs Personas?
Has your organization given thought to your ‘perfect’ clients lately? Spending a little time describing the people who are the perfect fit for your organization can help when it’s time to communicate with both prospects and clients.
I’ve been exploring the use of personas in strategic planning this month. A ‘persona’ is a representation of your ideal customer, based on market research and real data about your clients (or donors). Creating personas helps you connect your message to people who are most likely to be perfect prospects, supporters, and clients.
With an ‘ideal client’ in mind, you are better able to create a more personalized invitation – and a message that resonates with the recipient.
What’s crossed my desk lately
I recently read Adam Grant’s Give and Take. Subtitled “Why Helping Others Drives Our Success”, this book is a deep dive into how people approach business relationships – as a giver, a taker, or a mediator.
Grant shares the unexpected benefits of being a Giver – someone who gives more than they need to (and often more than others think they should) – and how to increase your ‘giver quotient’.
I love the quote that begins the final chapter:
“Some people, when they do someone a favor, are always looking for a chance to call it in. And some aren’t, but they’re still aware of it – still regard it as a debt. But others don’t even do that. They’re like a vine that produces grapes without looking for anything in return…after helping others… They just go on to something else… We should all be like that.” -Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor.
Here’s to being more like the grapevine!
That’s it for now…
Thanks for spending time with me! I hope you found something here that you can take away and apply to your business or your life.
Have a question or comment? Hit reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
-Lynne
Branch & Blossom Writing
Helping you Branch Out and Blossom