A Key to Customer Engagement: Consistency

Consistency is key. This topic has been coming up repeatedly the last few weeks. When companies are struggling to create a strong brand or to effectively engage their customers, a lack of consistency is usually the root of the problem.  Being consistent is important in two core areas of your business.

First, it is imperative that you are consistent with what you are saying about your company. While it is important to share different information about your organization, your customer needs to be able to quickly identify that the content is coming from you. Whether you are posting on a blog, publishing a newsletter, or simply posting on Facebook, can your reader easily identify what your values are as a company? Is your identity clear? Do you use one tone for all of your content? 

Read more …
Posted
AuthorAmanda Washburn
CategoriesBlogs, Communication, Customer Relations, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions
TagsBrand, Consistency, Content Development, Customer Engagement
CommentPost a comment

Things to be Thankful For (A Business Owner's List)

Today marks the first day of August. As many of you probably can relate, I feel like the summer is just speeding by. July was filled with meeting a lot of great business owners and starting some new and exciting projects. August looks very promising in terms of taking on challenging projects, building strong relationships and taking this business to the next level. Throughout the past few weeks I have become more aware of how thankful I am to be a business owner. There is so much creative freedom and fulfilling responsibility that comes with owning a business. I'd like to start the month by creating a list of a few things that I am thankful for in terms of this company. What are you thankful for in your job?

Read more …
Posted
AuthorAmanda Washburn
CategoriesCommunication, Food for Thought, Rough Draft Solutions, Small Business Owner
TagsThankful, Marketing, Communication, Business owner, New Beginning
CommentPost a comment

4 Ways to Take Your Content to the Next Level

Writing can be tough. Especially if you are editing your own work. But creating new and fresh content is essential to making your marketing and communication efforts successful. When you are writing and wanting to make sure that your content is up to snuff, check your content to see if it is:

  1. Clear: Can the reader quickly understand your message and grasp the value of what you are sharing? If they have to read the text twice, it is not clear enough. Make sure that your grammar is correct and your sentences flow well. Your writing should be crystal clear and should be written with your audience in mind. If your audience is likely not as technical as you are, make sure to write in a manner that that leaves them craving more information, not confused and frustrated. 
Read more …
Posted
AuthorAmanda Washburn
CategoriesWriting, Rough Draft Solutions, Content Marketing, Communication
TagsWriting, Tips, Editing, Content Development
CommentPost a comment

Technology Addiction

Technology is a wonderful, beautiful and very useful element of our everyday lives. It is also completely consuming and addictive. Up until a year ago I defiantly held out on buying a smart phone. My husband and I were actually proud to still have "dumb phones." We felt empowered to simply enjoy the moment we were in and to abstain from having to take a picture of even the most mundane dinners. We didn't understand the world of hashtags and we reveled in the freedom that we experienced from our jobs. I often thought, "No, I will not be checking my email every five minutes when I am away from the office, thank you very much." We may have even been a little (or in my case, very) judgmental of the people playing Candy Crush at the dinner table or texting while with friends.

Read more …
Posted
AuthorAmanda Washburn
CategoriesCommunication, Technology, Rough Draft Solutions
TagsTechnology, Technology addiction, Smart Phones, Laptop, Staying connected
CommentPost a comment

How to Engage Your Customers with Relevant Content

Well, it is officially June. I am not quite sure how we got here, as it seems like we totally skipped spring.  As our routines often change during the summer months, I want to take a moment and remind you of the value of ramping up your business's communication efforts. Whether you have a manufacturing business, a retail shop or maybe even an insurance agency, your customers are out and about and may have a little more time on their hands. We have all experienced the drudgery of the winter months and it is a good idea to break out of our comfort zones. This means challenging yourself to proactively engage your customers and let them know what is new with your business. Here are a few ideas of topics you could discuss with your customers and ways you could reach out to them.

Read more …
Posted
AuthorAmanda Washburn
CategoriesRough Draft Solutions, Strategic Communication, Writing, Communication
TagsEffective Communication, Customer Relationships, Newsletters
CommentPost a comment

How to Effectively Communicate with Customers

Have you ever wondered how to more effectively engage your customers? Sometimes it is hard to know what to say and other times it is a challenge to know how often to reach out to your customers. Whatever the situation may be, business owners often postpone the task of reconnecting with their customers after they have completed a project - simply because they don't know what to say. 

The common misconception is that our customers don’t want to hear from us or that they already know enough about our company. However, there is immense value in sending friendly greetings, occasional updates and sharing relevant industry news with customers. 

Read more …
Posted
AuthorAmanda Washburn
CategoriesCommunication, Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions, Trusted Partner, Strategic Communication
Tagseffective communication, trusted partner, authentic communication, customer relationships, professional communication
CommentPost a comment