Blog Archive — Rough Draft Solutions

Calling your brochures boring and ugly may be a little harsh, but it is the wake-up call that many of us need. Today, more than ever, it is important to have brochures that not only inform your potential customers of how you can help them but are also pretty to look at!

The problem is that revamping your brochure or even more daunting, an entire series of brochures, requires time, effort, and money. Three things that often run in short supply! Here are a few of our favorite tips to share with our clients on how to take your brochure from snooze-fest to a stimulating pamphlet your customers will actually read (and enjoy!).

PostedNovember 11, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Writing, Brochures, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBrochures, Graphic design, Marketing Tips, Marketing

CommentPost a comment

“Avoid using the word very because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired; he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, for boys to woo women--and in that endeavor laziness will not do.” - Robin Williams.

Even though our main goal as business owners and content writers is not to “woo women,” we believe Robin Williams was onto something here.

In writing, each word plays a crucial role in portraying your message. When you write, you lose the power of gestures, facial expressions, and body language. The strength of the words you choose is directly correlated with the message you convey to the reader. If you want to create a powerful and engaging piece, you must use language to its full potential.

PostedOctober 21, 2015

Author

CategoriesWriting, Communication, Content Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsWriting tips, Content Development, Quality content

2 CommentsPost a comment

As we work to provide insightful and informative content on our blog about different aspects of business and content marketing, we wanted to take a moment to share more about what goes on here at Rough Draft Solutions!

The focus of our business is creating content worth reading. We strive to empower businesses to communicate with their customers in an effective and authentic way. In today’s world, businesses are communicating with their customers through websites, blogs, and newsletters. The challenge is knowing how to produce content effectively, how to write professionally, and realistically, how to get it done!

PostedSeptember 9, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Writing, Strategic Communication, Trusted Partner, Rough Draft Solutions

CommentPost a comment

For some business owners the phrase, “Marketing strategies” causes them to cringe and quickly shield their wallets. However, developing strong marketing tactics doesn’t have to be difficult nor break the bank. Here are several inexpensive, effective ways to market your business that you could easily implement today.

PostedAugust 26, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Content Marketing, Social Media, Blogging, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsDigital media, Blogs, Original Content, Networking

CommentPost a comment

Writing for business is simple! You combine words together in sentences to communicate your thoughts and concepts and you're good to go, right? We wish!

If the goal is to inform, engage, and excite customers with our content, we must take it a step further. Just as a rookie athlete needs to practice to achieve perfection, we as business writers need to practice the skills it takes to connect with our readers. We need to be intentional in order to provide the value they're looking for, and ultimately, present interesting content they will rely on!

Today we will share 6 aspects of writing you can work on to gain the skills to produce polished and appealing content for your business.

PostedJuly 6, 2015

Author

CategoriesBlogging, Content Marketing, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions, Strategic Communication

TagsContent Marketing, Writing tips

CommentPost a comment

The world of blogging is no longer just for documenting study abroad trips and personal weight loss journeys. The blogosphere has exploded across the business world with strategic ways to stay relevant to your customers and provide them with the information they want at the touch of a key.

Blogging increases repeat traffic, keeps your business relevant, and improves customer positivity, according to Neil Patel’s article Why Every Business Should Blog. These are just a few reasons why maintaining a blog for your business is a 21st-century necessity.

Let’s take a deeper look at a six unique ways you can make your business blog more successful.

PostedJune 17, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBlogs, Content Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions, Writing

TagsBlogging Jackson, Blogging Lansing, Business blog, Marketing Tips, Blogging tips

CommentPost a comment

How many businesses can you think of that communicate well about the unique solutions they offer? Sure, being able to tell your customers about the products and services you sell is pretty mandatory. But what about sharing what makes you tick? What about creating content that adds value to your customers’ lives? Can you think of any businesses you know that communicate in that way?

While at the heart of many business owners is a burning passion for what they do and a clear reason they went into business, it’s not always easy for them to communicate these purposes with their customers. And yet, this is what consumers are desperately looking for.

PostedMay 29, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Strategic Communication, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsQuality content, Lansing Marketing, Lansing Business, Writing tips

CommentPost a comment

Yesterday was one for the books. I, along with three other business leaders in the Lansing area, spoke at the Branding and Marketing Bootcamp facilitated by RING (Lansing's Innovation Network) and powered by LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership.) Speakers included Laurie Lonsdorf with the Lansing SBDC, Melissa Meshke with Michigan Creative and Amber Shinn with the MSU Innovation Center.

34 local business entrepreneurs and professionals came together to learn about the basics of branding, strategic ways to use social media and video, public relations 101 and the power of content marketing. The bootcamp was in an ideal location at the 300 Room which is next to The Hatch Incubators and the Technology Innovation Center. With comfy chairs, state of the art technology, Bloom coffee and delicious pastries, we were spoiled! Ah, what a day!

PostedFebruary 20, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsContent Marketing, Content Development, Marketing Lansing

CommentPost a comment

Ta-da! I am so excited to share our new marketing piece with you! While I may be biased, I am thrilled to have a leave-behind that clearly articulates what we do and how we can help you as a small business owner.

It's funny, even though I help businesses craft messages that showcase what they do and the value they provide on a daily basis, it was hard for me to do it for my own business! I suppose it was good for me to see what my clients experience. :)

PostedFebruary 6, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Communication, Rough Draft Solutions, Writing

TagsContent Marketing, Content Development, Marketing

CommentPost a comment

You may or may not be familiar with content marketing, but it is high time that you get to know it a little better.

In a world where we are inundated with advertisements, emails and social media updates every waking minute of our day, it is hard to imagine how businesses can successfully connect with their customers in a meaningful way.

I will be honest, even in my profession, I find myself ignoring the many corporate email newsletters and social media promotions I see. There are, however, posts that I take the time to read and pay attention to - and you know what they have in common?

PostedJanuary 30, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Strategic Communication, Writing, Digital media, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsContent Development, Content Marketing, Writing, Marketing Tips

CommentPost a comment

Words matter. The way we talk about our business matters. The way we write about our business matters. The way we communicate with our customers matters. While people may not remember exactly what we say, it is a well-known fact that they will remember how we make them feel. Here are a few important questions to ask yourself as you consider how you make your customers feel with the way you communicate with them about your business.

Do you try to make your customers feel like a valued part of your business community? Do they know you care about their opinions? Do they hear from you consistently enough to feel remembered?

PostedDecember 12, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCustomer Relations, Content Marketing, Food for Thought, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsCommunication, customer relationships, Writing

CommentPost a comment

Thanksgiving is less than a week from now. The last few days I have been consumed with thoughts of gratefulness and happiness about owning my own business. I can't explain the value of the freedom that it brings to my life. I wanted to share a few of these little bits of happiness with you. What are you most thankful for professionally?

8 things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

The ability to own a business and the creative opportunities available to me. Working with such a variety of small businesses and helping them share their stories is so rewarding. One of my favorite parts is sitting down with a customer and hearing their story and helping them articulate it in a way that will engage their customers.

PostedNovember 21, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Content Marketing, Getting Started, Food for Thought

TagsThankful, Jackson Marketing, Lansing Marketing, Business owner, Work Life Balance

CommentPost a comment

"The truth is, what you do matters. What you do today matters. What you do every day matters. Successful people just do the things that seem to make no difference in the act of doing them and they do them over and over and over until the compound effect kicks in.”
― Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life

I love this idea. You can apply this concept to whatever element of life is most relevant to you at the moment. Whether you are trying to lose weight, save money or start a new business, you need to do things over and over and over again before there will be any sign of growth or improvement. What you do matters. What you do today matters.

PostedNovember 7, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Content Marketing, Customer Relations, Rough Draft Solutions, Tips

TagsMarketing Tips, Jackson Marketing, Lansing Marketing, Blogging Tips

CommentPost a comment

As promised, I am trying to add some more personality to this little website of mine - and what better way to do it than a video? :) This Monday I met up with Cooper Spaulding from Cold Box Films in Okemos, MI. It was a chilly morning, but the sun was perfect and after scoping out a few locations, we found the perfect place.

I will admit, I was a little nervous about how I would act once there was a camera in my face. (Why is it that we make such weird facial expressions and come up with strange phrases as soon as the record button has been pressed?) After a few encouraging words from Cooper and a couple takes, we called it a wrap! Honestly, the entire filming process only took 30 minutes! And because Cold Box Films is so awesome, I had the video the same day!

PostedOctober 10, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Digital media, Technology, Video, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsVideography, Communication, Video Tips, Copywriter

CommentPost a comment

am currently reading the book Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi. While I am not very far into the book, I wanted to share some interesting thoughts from it.

Discerning the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing, may be a challenge for some. In an early part of the book, Pulizzi pulls together several definitions of content marketing, one of my favorites was the “Content Marketing: For Practitioners:”

“Content Marketing is about delivering the content your audience is seeking in all the places they are searching for it. It is the effective combination of created, curated and syndicated content.* Content marketing is the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable, and engaging content to a target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers.**”

PostedSeptember 18, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCustomer Relations, Strategic Communication, Content Marketing

TagsEpic Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi, Communication, Customer Engagement, Content marketing, Content Development

CommentPost a comment

In the last few months I have noticed that one of people's biggest fears of writing content about their business is the fear of publishing something with embarrassing errors. All too often, when we are faced with the responsibility of writing something official about our business - whether it is a newsletter, a brochure or maybe even a presentation, we become paralyzed by the sheer thought of writing something incorrectly. We also fear writing something boring. Sometimes we push the project aside and never write it, or we write it, cringe, close our eyes and push "Print" - hoping for the best. Here are two important tips to help ensure that your content is accurate and also appeals to your audience.

PostedSeptember 3, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesRough Draft Solutions, Content Marketing, Writing, Internal Communication

TagsEditing, Internal communication, External Communication

CommentPost a comment

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:

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.

PostedJuly 23, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesWriting, Rough Draft Solutions, Content Marketing, Communication

TagsWriting, Tips, Editing, Content Development

CommentPost a comment

As a way to commemorate the launch of Rough Draft Solutions, I thought it would be appropriate to post about new beginnings. Rough Draft Solutions is built on the principle that the best time to start improving is now. When I was deliberating about starting this company I came across the following quotation by Hugh Laurie.

"It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any."

What a profound thought that is - that today is better than tomorrow and today, we can do more than we didn't do yesterday. There may never be "the perfect time" and so we should stop procrastinating and just get going.

PostedApril 8, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesGetting Started, Food for Thought, Rough Draft Solutions, Content Marketing

TagsCustomer Engagement, Content Marketing, New Beginning, Content Development

CommentPost a comment