There are four cornerstones of long-term, sustainable, business success: Messaging/Copy Branding/Image Planning/Strategy Publicity/PR Each of these elements must be in place to ensure your marketing success and long-term business sustainability. While these cornerstones are invaluable, it’s imperative that you deliver on your promises. We’ll talk more about that later. In order to get your big mission and message out into the world your message must be in alignment with your core values and the value you deliver.  I often say values equal value. It’s vital that your CORE message is clear and compelling. For example, I teach, train, and transform with my simple, values-based, 3-step “Challenge.Solution.Invitation.” framework to create marketing messages with integrity and improve all communications by highlighting PASSION points instead of poking at pain points.  THIS is the CORE message of my brand and everything that I offer […]

“A thought become a bright idea and when put into writing words turn ideas into action.”   I don’t know about YOU but I’ve been thinking about creativity, ideas, and action.  I mean, there really is no shortage of ideas. As a creator I have to stop myself from creating new programs and offerings so I can focus on being of service and getting my most important projects done. Can you relate? Is your list of to-do’s piling up while your ability to take action seems scattered? Or, do you have everything dialed in and on track? Is your creativity in overdrive leaving you with a need for some structure and strategy? Everyone I’ve talked to lately has a really BIG vision. Sometimes your vision and mission is so big that you just don’t know what to do […]

Beyond your message, brand, plan, and publicity — Let’s talk about SALES. When you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve likely started to build a solid foundation.  You’ve invested in… Branding/Image Planning/Strategy Content/Copy Publicity/PR AND, the sales are still not rolling in… Here’s the deal. This isn’t uncommon. By the time you have your foundational pieces in place, your individual sales goals can slip through the cracks.  So, yes — in order to be positioned as a leader in your industry, you must build a solid brand with consistent image to uphold your big vision and mission (image really is important) in order to grow your business it’s vital to give energy to creating a clear plan and strategy (for every component of your business)  in order to attract your ideal clients instead of chasing not-so-ideal […]

How are YOU showing up and what are you known for? What branding, positioning and niches have represented your business over the years? Does your current brand position you as THE expert?  Have you narrowed your niche too much? Not enough? Is business cruising along as usual or is it time to do something unusual?  Are your business offerings and services designed for an industry niche? Or, is your magic more of a specialty niche?  Stick with me, there is a reason I’m asking YOU all of these questions. You see recently I had a fabulous conversation with friend, colleague and former client. WAY back in the day we’d done some work together to dial in web messaging and strategy (often small shifts make a big impact).  So, she knew about my web copy and strategy expertise […]

Q: Do I need an email address that matches my website address? A: The short answer is “YES!”.  Business owners and entrepreneurs often ask me “are branded email address important?”.  They absolutely are. Here’s why.  An unbranded email address markets your email provider. And, you want your email address to represent your business and brand. Here’s what unbranded email addresses look like. The @ section of email features the brand of your provider. @yahoo.com @live.com @msn.com @gmail.com @hotmail.com @aol.com @mac.com Why does this matter?  Because when you’ve invested in a website address and you have a specific domain name that people search for, you want your email address to match it. It gives your business another impression with your prime prospects and shows that you’re serious about your business. You have the opportunity to create an email presence […]

As we learn and grow as people and especially as professionals, it’s important to use discernment in everything we do. Often this means trusting when something is a clear YES or a clear NO (even if, at first, it seemed like a good idea). It all comes down to business boundaries. There are several telltale signs that something will be a good fit (or not). I’ve learned to trust my intuition, give myself permission to course correct and do so without explanation (because often the explanation is a form of coaching someone who already isn’t a good fit for your BIG vision and work-style). It takes time and practice to incorporate clear business BOUNDARIES. Sometimes we have to make tough decisions based on time commitments, return on investment, unnecessary hoops (i.e. business boundaries and etiquette), and reciprocal […]

I remember the first time someone told me that I’m not a copywriter… Imagine my surprise as I’m sitting in a high-level mastermind meeting with brilliant colleagues and unanimously they all say “Lisa, you’re not a copywriter.” (AND mind you, this has happened more than once– with good reason, but likely not a reason you’d expect). Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been positioned as one thing and delivered another? On that beautiful Florida afternoon I began to rethink my business. This was several years ago and I’d already established a solid reputation and track record as a copywriter. AND I’d also been over-delivering with high-level strategy, creation of packages and income streams and more. That’s why my colleagues called me on the carpet. “You’re not a copywriter, you’re a strategist, a marketing consultant […]

Although storytelling and transparency are huge components of copywriting trends, it’s not enough to simply tell your story. You must have buy-in fueled by social proof. Consumers must believe your story, resonate with you, and believe that others believe in you too before they decide to do business with you. That’s why social media and social proof are at the forefront of many successful marketing campaigns. It’s also vital that the story you are telling is TRUE. Authenticity = congruency in marketing. Often when things aren’t flowing your message isn’t a good match for what you are delivering and isn’t resonating with your end-user as it should. Or what you are delivering isn’t what you’re presenting in your marketing message. It comes down to not only accurately portraying what you do but actually doing it. Including features […]

It’s all about a good story. AND what makes a good story stick is TRUTH… Authenticity, true voice, and focused messaging come as a result of powerful storytelling. Storytelling is not a new technique but it’s being used in new ways. Consumers are now savvier than ever, and they want to know who they’re doing business with. The must know, like and trust you to invest their hard earned dollars. It’s not enough to have a strong brand anymore. Your brand and brand image is still vital and important element of relationship building but it must be supported with your voice to the right people in the right way. You must be more transparent than ever, and let people know who you really are before they choose to do business with you. This concept is hard for […]

There’s a big buzz about branding right now. I’m always curious to see what people are saying because I’m no stranger to the branding process. Back in ‘the day’ I used to work for an ad agency and I’ve worked on branding and image campaigns from start to finish (although, truthfully, branding is an ongoing process). Anyway, there seems to be a lot of confusion about what branding really is. Some people think it’s a logo. Others swear it means creating a really cool television spot. And, others are simply mystified by the thought of branding. To demystify branding for you, I’ll share the simple definitions that I included in the training materials I created for the Idaho Small Business Development Center several years ago. This clearly illustrates the difference between your logo and your brand because […]