Blog Archive — Rough Draft Solutions

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

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We are so excited to share with you a wonderful article that was written about Rough Draft Solutions by Capital Gains. As a small business owner, it is fantastic to be supported by such a great organization. We hope you enjoy the article!

Amanda Washburn understands what a blank screen is all about. She's a writer.

Armed with that core knowledge, Washburn decided she would help others fill the void and fine-tune what they had started. So in January 2014, she filled her virtual red pens and sharpened her cyber pencils and set in motion a business that provides strategic writing, editing and marketing solutions for small businesses.

PostedMay 4, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesStrategic Communication, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsWriting Lansing, Editing Lansing, Small business

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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

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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

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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

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Did you survive the first full week of work after the holidays? I hope so! My family rang in the New Year in Florida and I couldn't be more thankful for the restorative and much-enjoyed break. But now it's go-time. And if my inbox full of emails wasn't enough to bring me back to reality, the more than 80-degree change sure did! ;)

So, it's really 2015 huh? We all have a clean slate and 2015 is just waiting for us to do what we want with it. Let's put the seemingly required "work out" resolutions aside for a moment and think about real goals and aspirations that you want to work toward and changes you want to make a reality for your business this year. Here are a few questions to help you start brainstorming (Don't feel bad, while it may be the second week of January, it's always better to start late than never!).

PostedJanuary 9, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Tips, To Do Lists, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBusiness Goals, Business owner, Tips

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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

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"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

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Email marketing and social media have been a focus of our project work lately, so today we have created a round-up of interesting articles for you to read. So many business owners are faced with the feeling that they have to be on social media and they need to be sending out emails. Instead of being deliberate and planning things out, they often post or email haphazardly. Not necessarily a recipe for success.

These articles offer unique and relevant tips that you can start implementing today! Enjoy!

PostedOctober 24, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesTips, Email Marketing, Social Media, Rough Draft Solutions, Writing, Newsletter

TagsEmail Marketing, Social Media, Copywriter Lansing, tips, Email Marketing Tips, Social media tips, Article roundup

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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

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I know we are well into the year, but I thought this video was a neat look into the current trends and what is to come in 2015. Often it is a challenge to keep up with all of the social media trends and demands, but I don't think small business can get away from it. This video was created by InfoGraphicsDesign. What are your thoughts on these trends? What are you doing to stay active on social media?

PostedSeptember 11, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesMarketing, Social media, Digital media, Trends, Rough Draft Solutions, Video

TagsDigital media, Trends, Video, Social Media, Marketing

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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

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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?

PostedAugust 20, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBlogs, Communication, Customer Relations, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBrand, Consistency, Content Development, Customer Engagement

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Happy Friday!

How has your week been? It is hard to believe that we are halfway through August! The project list has been pretty full over here at Rough Draft Solutions – but that is a wonderful thing! In the time that I have been a business owner I have learned one thing for sure - there is an ebb and flow to the number of projects that come to fruition. It seems the art of business success is in managing those ups and downs and establishing systems to help create a balance between actual project work and the effort to find work for the future.

PostedAugust 15, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesFood for Thought, Marketing, Newsletter, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBusiness owner, Business, Marketing, Articles

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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?

PostedAugust 1, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Food for Thought, Rough Draft Solutions, Small Business Owner

TagsThankful, Marketing, Communication, Business owner, New Beginning

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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

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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.

PostedJuly 11, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Technology, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsTechnology, Technology addiction, Smart Phones, Laptop, Staying connected

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Happy Fourth of July Weekend!

What a great time of year to remember how privileged we are to live in such a great country. I hope your weekends are filled with your favorite things and your loved ones. Take advantage of the opportunity to show your American Pride and wear a little red, white and blue. I have a feeling that Instagram, Facebook and Twitter will be taken over by pictures of American flags, burgers, brats, beaches, campfires and fireworks.

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

PostedJuly 3, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesFood for Thought, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsWork Life Balance, Content Marketing

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As promised, here is the blog side of the blog vs email newsletter debate. While both mediums have unique and important purposes, sometimes it is just too much for people to start with both projects at the same time. Blogging has a large variety of ways it can be used to benefit your company – from boosting the likelihood of your website being found by the general public, using it to grow your email list, and also positioning your company as an industry expert. The amount and the kind of information you can share on your blog is limitless and the people who view it have usually chosen to read your content (unlike newsletters that just arrive in their inbox). (If you want to read about the benefits and challenges of newsletters, check out our previous post!)

PostedJune 26, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Newsletter, Rough Draft Solutions, Marketing, Blogs

TagsEmail Newsletter, Blogs, Content Development, Audience Engagement, Search Engine Optimization

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