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Headlines strike terror into the hearts of many writers—myself included. There seems to be some special juju connected to creating just the perfect headline, and all sorts of observers out there who are casting a jaundiced eye at your creation. But not to worry, all is not lost. In fact, where headlines are concerned, there’s a lot of good news.

This post borrows, as many of mine do, from folks who are good thinkers and smart communicators. (And don’t we need tons more of them in this crazy world?) A tip of the hat today to Ivan Levison, direct marketing writer and guru.

Mr. Levison starts a recent newsletter by asking just how long a headline should be? How many characters? And his answer? “ … when it comes to headlines there are no rules. Results mean everything.”

In defense of his thesis, Mr. Levison presents quite a long headline in an ad he saw while vacationing in the UK.

We buy any car that’s sitting in your driveway

somewhere right now costing you money

whilst you’re sitting on this train.

Don’t you just love the “whilst”? He notes the fun the writer obviously and the sense of style of the communication. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the classic VW “lemon” ad. Just one wonderful word, squeezed for all its meaning.

The lesson from this post? In Mr. Levison’s words, “When it comes to writing headlines, or just about any copy, don’t go looking for rules to slavishly follow. Write with some imagination and energy and you will do just fine.”

I’ve got a great idea for a one-word headline. How about “Argh!” Says so much. Takes up so little real estate. Any ideas about the topic toward which it could be applied?

I’ve written about headlines before. Here’s a link to one of my pontifications.

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Today’s post—about creating great infographics—is short and sweet, because you need to go to the “Infographic about Infographics” piece by Kevin Allen of PR Daily. In this instance, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Mr. Allen notes, “Years after this communications tool was introduced, it’s still an effective way to combine text, statistics and imagery to tell a story.” He cites an article by OneSpot for six excellent tips for content marketers who want to make greater use of infographics.

Here are the tips, quoted directly from OneSpot:

1. Use a 3 color palette with contrast
2. Choose similar type styles/proportions
3. Develop an easy-to-follow, logical flow
4. Keep text clean and legible
5. Use negative space to create balance
6. Always cite your sources

On the matter of negative space, I had to refresh my memory. According to Creative Bloq, “Negative space is, quite simply, the space that surrounds an object in an image. Just as important as that object itself, negative space helps to define the boundaries of positive space and bring balance to a composition.”

On another note, I’ve heard some folks say that infographics will do away with the need for writers. Not so, I say. That “easy-to-follow, logical flow” and choice of just the right facts to present owes a lot to the skills we content creators bring to the table. In fact, the fewer the words in a piece, the more important they are.

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Firing a customer … Have you ever thought of doing that? And what kind of picture does it conjure up?

This is more than just an idle question. A colleague and I recently ended a client relationship, and we both walked away feeling energized. As a quick background, we had worked with this company for some eight years, producing a monthly newsletter that functioned as a valuable marketing tool.

Newsletters—or any other publication, for that matter—require a production schedule. That sounds a little stiff and prissy, I know. But schedules are invaluable in getting content out the door. And without content that goes out on schedule, you don’t have content marketing, do you?

Okay, end of rant. What happened way too often with this client was that schedules flew out into the ether, as our internal contact and the executive director of the organization argued with each other. Of course, my colleague and I ended up saving their bacon every single time that happened—until we decided not to. We wrote a gracious email—offering to help our client make the transition to a new vendor—and giving two months’ notice. Pretty princely, I’d say.

By the way, this blog is inspired by a 2015 article by Karen Vujnovic, a Manta staff writer.  And here I quote the last two sentences in her article: “Even if the words ‘the customer is always right’ were drilled into your head early on, know that it’s an archaic assumption and, frankly, untrue. Some customers are worth giving up to avoid unnecessary stress, expense or affecting the well-being of a valued employee.”

Yes! So here are the three criteria for firing your customer. Thanks again to Ms. Vujnovic:

1. They’re costing you money. (My thought: This is a killer for a small business, but even if you’re a big business, who needs it?)
2. You neglect other business obligation while you take care of them. Or you lose sleep, which is not cool. (Read The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington. )
3. They violate company values, your employees, or you. Disrespect is never in fashion.

You can absolutely fire a client in a cool and classy way. Just script the conversation or the email in advance, so that you don’t blurt it out. And know that when you do and tell others what you’ve done—no need to mention names—you will empower (horrid word) them to do the same to the abusers in their professional and personal lives.

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I recently came across a truly helpful article about emotional intelligence on Inc.com. The piece contained neuroscientist Nicole Gravagna’s  response to the question “How do I increase my emotional intelligence?”

Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the concept of emotional intelligence, sometimes referred to as EI or EQ. According to Ms. Gravagna, EQ is “the measure of your ability to use emotional awareness in everyday life.” Emotional intelligence is what helps you navigate difficult situations gracefully. It’s what keeps you from blurting out the first thing that comes to mind when you’re under stress or confronted with a difficult person. It is what makes the difference between success and failure in the long term.

Ms. Gravagna notes that emotional intelligence is within anyone’s reach. To strengthen your emotional intelligence, though, you must practice—much as you would roller skating or ballroom dancing. The good news is that imaging reveals that the part of the brain we use when we are emotionally aware—the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)—becomes stronger with use.

Emotionally aware people have developed two skills. First, they notice. That is, they are able to notice their emotions in the moment and where their bodies feel the emotions. They also have a good grip on the emotions of those around them. (A great place to practice this latter skill would be in the many, many meetings you attend.)

Second, emotionally aware people feel. They acknowledge their feelings rather than attempting to stifle them or giving them free rein. In fact, says Ms. Gravagna, they can schedule time during their day or week to “privately feel emotions that they choose not to feel during the work day.” What a tremendous benefit it must be to be able to acknowledge how you’re feeling, take a step back, and choose to work with your emotions later. This is more than mere Scarlett O’Hara “I’ll think about it tomorrow” stuff. This is a critical building block of emotional mastery.

So how can you build your emotional awareness? Ms. Gravagna recommends spending time around people with high EQ and copying their behavior. (My go-to person in this regard is an executive assistant friend whose ability to control her emotions so that she functions at a very high level is inspiring.) You can also focus on the sensations in your body the next time you get upset. You will need to get specific about whether you feel sweaty, whether you feel pressure in your head or chest, etc. The more often you do this, the sooner you will tune in on your feelings, and that will increase your EQ.

The ability to be in the moment is a great gift. At the same time, I believe those who are successfully spontaneous know themselves well and understand that there is a time and place to exercise their emotions.

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41148241 – emotional intelligence (eq) word cloud on an isolated vintage blackboard

Last week’s post discussed the public speaking problems caused by a speaker’s predilection for moving continually during a presentation. This week’s post, which owes everything to speaking guru Anett Grant, talks about the virtue of the strategic pause.

A pause is “much more than just a chance to catch your breath. Deployed the right way, it adds drama, weight, and clarity to your message” says Ms. Grant. Essentially, a pause is punctuation, and it does three things.

A pause allows you to transition from one idea to another, like the break between paragraphs. In writing for the web, for example, we’re urged to break content into short paragraphs. Small chunks of content tend to grab a busy or distracted reader’s attention better. As Ms. Grant puts it, “Think about the difference between reading a page-long paragraph versus just a few short paragraphs.”

Well-timed pauses help you pace your presentation. Too-frequent or too-long pauses can make your audience impatient. But if you don’t pause or rarely pause and move quickly through your presentation—what Ms. Grant refers to as “over-caffeinated barking”—your audience can disengage. Strategic pauses at the end of important ideas create a more natural rhythm. (Two-second pauses are optimal.) Test your presentation before going live to see how pauses work for you.

Pausing creates dramatic contrast, which Ms. Grant equates to the “fourth wall” in theater. This convention creates a sense of intimacy that “declaimed speeches” do not. With well-placed pauses, you keep your audience engaged, and, I might add, don’t wear them out with artificiality. This “looser, more dynamic style” is where business speaking is going today.

Mastering the pause is well worth your time. Truly good salespeople are pause artists. They’re masters of the full stop, too. They go for the close, and they stop talking. The next time they speak is to offer up thanks for the order.

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You, like so many, are nervous when it comes to public speaking. Or maybe you downright hate it. Your remedy, when you’re called upon to speak publicly, is to pace around so that you feel better. Unfortunately, that habit doesn’t make your audience feel better. Even if you don’t mind public speaking, your pacing habit isn’t doing you any favors.

So says Anett Grant, CEO of Executive Speaking. (http://www.executivespeaking.net/) in “This Public Speaking Habit Is Annoying Your Audience.”

Why isn’t pacing working for you, even though a trusted colleague may have suggested that walking around while you speak would loosen you up a bit and reduce your anxiety?

First of all, according to Ms. Grant, when you pace too much, you can no longer use movement to punctuate what you say. In short, “you lose the power of the pause.” If you pause between one statement and the next and also move, you add impact to your words and grab your listeners’ attention. As in, “We need to economize significantly throughout our operations. (Pause your speech and walk a few paces.) To this end, we’ll be offering packages to Grade 3 employees as an inducement for them to leave the company.” Now that should get everyone’s attention.

Second, when you keep on moving, “your audience focuses on your body, not your message.” That’s because we’re hardwired to focus on movement. Just as hunter and prey do. You may feel calmer, but too much movement loses your audience and probably a critical part of your message. (Of course, if you were hunting, you might also get eaten.)

Third, your pacing dictates the rhythm of your speech—think marching to “1-2-3-4, we love the Marine Corps.” Keep on moving and “you flatten your delivery.” Pacing reduces your ability to vary your delivery, and you tend to go monotone.

Finally, “you might be creating sight-line issues.” If you move around a lot, some of your audience may not be able to see you at all or only by craning their necks. As with the second point, your audience loses connection with your message and may well end up tuning out or coming out of your talk with less information than you provided.

You may not end up ever having to speak publicly, which would be a shame, actually. But Ms. Grant’s ideas are bound to be helpful in some context or other. Up next week: how to use strategic pauses.

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In Silicon Valley, it seems, everyone is smart and exceedingly fast moving, but are those success traits? Perhaps not, says Beth Monaghan, co-founder and CEO of InkHouse, a PR and social content agency based in Boston and San Francisco.

In her Fortune article, “Why It’s Better To Be Convincing Than To Be Right,” Ms. Monaghan boldly states, “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to be successful.” True. In fact, in his landmark 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence,” Daniel Goleman wrote at length about the successful careers and satisfying lives of those would not have been predicted to do all that well—the guy who graduated somewhere near the middle of his class at a state university but ended up running a multimillion dollar company.

Ms. Monaghan, who by any measure is successful, started out by imitating successful women. She noticed how they conducted themselves and realized that she could do the same. “In other words, I was learning how to fake it, which is the first step to becoming successful.”

Her journey to her “authentic self” focused on confidence, empathy, and authenticity.

Confidence

Ms. Monaghan believes that you can learn confidence. From my vantage point of many years in the business world, I agree with her. But you do need to work at it. Once, a boss I detested advised me to “be an actress.” A colleagues said “Never let them see you sweat.” For women in particular, it means voicing an opinion without letting your voice rise at the end as though you are asking a question (a vocal style I’ve noticed even in very successful businesswomen.) Ms. Monaghan also mentions ceasing to apologize for things that are not your fault and offering a firm handshake. To this I’d add, get rid of your nasal intonation. Young women often sound nasal-y, and I think it’s because they’re not breathing deeply and effectively enough.

Empathy

Says Ms. Monaghan, “As a female CEO, I am a strong believer that the future of the workplace depends on the skills that women naturally possess, such as empathy and emotional intelligence.” Empathy to her, is all about imagining the lives of others. Introverts—and I am one—are frequently faulted for appearing reserved, even disconnected. Yet those traits don’t preclude empathy. In fact, our ability to observe and, if you will, to build castles in the air and live in them is a great help in building empathy.

Authenticity

Imitation is great, I think, if you’re going for general technique. But attempting to make yourself into an exact copy of another is not ultimately going to be successful. “Faking it until you make it” works because it gives you the space you need to develop your own style. Ms. Monaghan says, “This is where confidence comes in again – a comfort level with who you are makes it possible to use your own unique assets to fuel success.”

Clicking the link to Ms. Monaghan’s article takes you to MPW Insiders, an online community where business leaders answer career and leadership questions. If you find the whole of this article useful, you’ll probably want to bookmark the link.

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I’ve just finished reading a heretical article about brand experience by Mark Di Somma of Brand Strategy Insider. It’s entitled “Is Brand Experience The New Sugar?” It took a couple of reads for me to get his thesis, perhaps because I’m somewhat hooked on the magic of brand experience. In a weird way, though. I can sit in front of the screen smiling like an idiot at those Clydesdale-and-lab-puppy commercials, feeling little twinges of joy when the big boys save the little girl from the wolf and yet never drink the beer, which a Texas friend has described as “bunny piss.” But I digress …

Mr. Di Somma asks “ … have brands simply made high-energy experiences the new must-add?” That is, do customers really want—or do they truly need—a sweet emotional experience to accompany each encounter with a brand. He points out that, quite often, we just want a product or service to do what it does, reliably and without much fanfare. As he puts it, “The increasing difficulty for marketers I think is to let something do what it does without adding some artificial level of enhancement.”

He also notes that by pampering (my word) consumers with a steady stream of experience-based marketing, marketers are turning them into narcissists who believe they are entitled to whatever is on offer “while at the same time failing to make any reciprocal commitment based on what they have been served up.” Now this is an interesting concept. What I think it’s saying is that the marketer is giving the classic 110% and the only thing the customer needs to do is buy the product, maybe without much loyalty attached. If we’re hooked on experience as on sugar or opioids, then when do we reach the point that yet another fails to deliver what we want or have been told that we want? In short, when do diminishing returns set in?

So, what to do? Mr. Di Somma suggests simplifying your branding—and he notes that more than 60 percent of consumers would pay more for brands that delivered greater simplicity and time savings. “The discipline now doesn’t lie in simply adding experiences per se but rather in being able to discern and filter when adding experiences is extraneous and will only serve to dilute what customers get.”

In my view, it’s hard to fault marketers for devoting ever-increasing percentages of their budgets to brand-experience marketing. After all, the reasoning goes, everyone’s doing it and arguing against FOMO may be futile. And hey, some brand experience marketing is truly enjoyable, such as seeing that big horse and that little pup together, while some falls disastrously flat—witness the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad.

On the other hand selling a product that delivers what buyers want without fanfare—“Gentlemen, there are times when a cigar is only a cigar!”—may be the best marketing strategy yet.

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When you think about your company culture and its brand—if indeed you do—what comes to mind? If you’re like many of us, nothing specific may pop into your head or perhaps you think more about culture than anything else. As in, “Well, we’re fast-moving, a little crazy, but basically an OK place to work.”

Denise Lee Yohn, who has worked with major brands for some 25 years, contends that your company culture and your brand should be tightly aligned. If they’re not in synch, you can expect problems.

In a June 2017 article, “Why Your Company Culture Should Match Your Brand,” Ms. Yohn offers some smack-you-upside-the head insights. (By the way, Ms. Yohn is a terrific writer.)

Here are five key ideas I came away with:

• A distinct corporate culture allows an organization to produce extraordinary results and contributes to a “strong, differentiated brand”—and vice versa.
• Whatever your culture may be, if it and your brands are driven by “the same purpose and values and if you weave them together into a single guiding force … you will win the competitive battle for customers and employees …”
• If your brand and culture aren’t in synch, you may have happy employees, but they are not producing the results you want. (You’re probably wasting money, too.)
• A disconnect between the employee and the customer experiences, is a “telltale” indicator that your brand and culture are not aligned.
• To synchronize your brand and culture, you need to identify and make explicit your brand aspirations.

I’m thinking that start-ups may skip the brand-culture alignment exercise because everyone is just too busy wearing multiple hats and trying to get a product out the door. The leaders at a start-up may think that the exercise is just not that important and that if they hire the right people, everything will fall into place. Likely it is established companies that may not want to spend time looking at brand-culture alignment, because they think they think it’s long since been figured out and doesn’t need to be re-examined. And they may not want to spend the time or the money.

In my opinion, brand and culture probably rest on unspoken assumptions that need to be surfaced and examined periodically—even if everything appears to be going well.

Convisum: 123rf.com

Over the years, brand mythology has created some interesting misperceptions. With everyone so insanely busy all the time, it’s pretty tempting, I think, to do a set-it-and-forget-it move with your branding and forge ahead with business activities that seem more urgent.

Brad Breininger, principal and strategist at Toronto’s Zync agency sets out to invalidate five common branding myths:

1. “Your brand is how you look.” Well yes, you do need a logo and letterhead and a color palette and probably some snappy stuff about proper brand language. But branding is a lot more than mere appearance. Brand is “… the voice of your communication; it’s the commitment of your people.” I’m betting that the people behind Ghost Ship, the Millennium Tower in SF, and the Grenfell Tower in London wish they had put more thought and care into their brands.
2. “Your brand is an expense with hard to measure ROI.” You can always find someone with the accounting and financial skills to come up with an accurate company bottom line. It’s not romantic, but it’s as good a measure as any and arguably better than most.
3. “Your brand reflects the people at the top.” Hah! With the way CEOs come and go, you’d better hope your brand is better served than it is by the customer service agent whose script promises to “delight” you.
4. “Your brand is not as important in the digital world.” Oh come now. And I quote Mr. Breininger directly: “Online there is a huge increase in transparency and competition. Brand managers must be even more diligent online to establish strong, positive associations.”
5. “You brand it, and forget it.” Really? This speaks to my post of last week, which addressed the concept of permanent brand transience. As Mr. Breininger puts it, “You must carry the value you’ve built forward while constantly updating it.

The point here is that brands are living things, and living things are constantly changing, while remaining stable at the core. In a way, they’re like your grandfather, whose hair has gone gray over the years you’ve known him but whose personality is unchanged. He uses Facebook now, rather than picking up the phone as much as he used to, and he’s pretty adept with his cell phone. But, with all the changes, he’s still the grandpa you know and love and depend on. And that’s his magic in your life.

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