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THEY LOVE ME
A list of the currently popular catchphrases and their meanings.
- Watercooler games n. – coworker discussions
- Smell test n. – determining the potential success of a product; formerly “run it up the flag pole”
- Critical path n. – determining the appropriate steps to take
- Low-hanging fruit n. – easy opportunities for new business
- Bandwidth n. – the amount of time and resources needed for a project
- Download v. – assess the facts of a particular situation
- Brain dump n. – providing all of the information; typically given when someone is handing over an initiative or preparing a successor
THEY LOVE ME NOT
2007’s most overused catchphrases.
- At the end of the day
- Solution
- Think outside the box
- On the runway
- Win-win
- Get on the same page
- Amazing
- Absolutely (when used instead of yes)
- Keep it clean and simple. Avoid multiple fonts, colors and pictures. Plain text is best for presenting yourself professionally and to be noticed as a fellow professional.
- Keep on target. To facilitate communication, avoid using lengthy or jargon-filled talk. Also, avoid random quotes tailing your e-mail signature unless it happens to be your business slogan. This allows for consistency from all employees who may be involved in communication with the same professional.
- Keep a careful eye on tone. Instead of pushing how great your company is, take the perspective of the other business and convey what your company can do for them. Also keep in mind that tone is not conveyed in e-mail, so avoid using ambiguous wording that might convey the wrong message.
- Keep it small. Don’t send a large e-mail file unless it’s absolutely necessary. Nobody likes to have their e-mail clogged up because of a big file of junk they didn’t need. If you must send a large file, let the recipient know that the file is on the way, send it in sections, or wait until after or before business hours to send it through.
- Keep it discrete. If you must send a “funny” make sure the recipient will, first and foremost, share in your same sense of humor and that they will not be offended by the e-mail. Remember, even though the recipient may enjoy the humor, other co-workers who might get a peek at the message may not. In this instance it is best to ask for a personal e-mail address to send to instead of using business e-mail.
*Article information provided by Grantastic Designs.
Read headlines.
Study good ads and newspaper headlines to start the brainstorming process. Reading effective, catchy headlines will make you better at creating your own. Write a few headlines and let them rest for awhile. Come back to them later and choose the one that grabs your attention the most.
Don’t try to tailor to everyone.
First, determine your target market. Microsoft adLab (adlab.msn.com) offers advertising and data mining technologies which can help determine the demographic profile of your audience.
Promote a call to action.
In your ad, always tell the reader what to do next. It could be making a phone call, going to a specific Web site for more information or e-mailing a certain person to get a “free sample or trial” of your product or service.
Account for seasonability in your ad.
Realize that people are more likely to pay attention to ads promoting time-sensitive promotions, such as holidays or the end or beginning of a season.
Tie your outlets together.
Don’t forget to highlight what your ad promoted on your Web site’s landing page.
This is a critical step that most companies skip. It’s simple – if you place an ad with a call to action for people to visit your Web site, make sure that your Web site’s home page clearly announces the promotion.
What simple gesture usually results in a response rate of more than 50 percent from potential new clients?
Sending a hand-written note
Hand-written notes are hard to ignore and usually always read, rather than simply skimmed over. Next time you send information to an existing or potential client; remember that a nice hand-written note can make all the difference between building a strong professional relationship and being overlooked.
The Zoo-Northwest Florida is the recipient of the 2008 Goodworks marketing grant.
Trauma Intervention Program is a team of trained volunteer first responders who provide emotional support to victims, family members of victims, and police and fire department crews following a traumatic event. The T.I.P. volunteers comfort and support the trauma victims until friends and family members arrive. For more information on this very worthy organization please visit the local website at www.tip-ser.org.
FavorHouse is a local organization that provides shelter, transitional housing, and prevention classes to those affected by domestic abuse. They seek to educate victims and offenders to stop behaviors that lead to domestic abuse and homicide. FavorHouse staff work with offenders assigned to take classes by the legal system as well as victims and seeks to empower those subjected to domestic violence. For more information please contact their office at (850) 434-1177.
Thank you to all our worthy applicants.
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