Blog Archive — Rough Draft Solutions

Tunnel vision, messy desks, overbooked schedules… Does that sound familiar as a business owner? Since starting my business I’ve found that I rarely have time to reflect on the whole journey. Because if I’m not working, I’m not making money, right?

But we all know the importance of reflection. So when 2nd Brain Collective reached out and asked if they could interview me on my experiences as a business owner and the world of marketing, I eagerly agreed. There have been many highs and lows in this experience, and I figured there wasn't a better time than now to take stock of the last two years. This new podcast is all about business and marketing in the digital age. Thanks 2BC for having me!

I highly encourage you to listen to the podcast (and all of the other interesting 2BC interviews!). I promise you'll learn something new about RDS and may even laugh. ;) And if you'd like, keep reading to discover more about how I started Rough Draft Solutions.

PostedMarch 9, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Getting Started, Small Business Owner, Leadership, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsPodcast Interview, Leadership, Small Business Owner, Lessons learned

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Before I get into the nitty gritty of this post, I have an important question for you.

Do you have a personal brand?

If you answered yes, great! Keep reading, I have included several powerful tools for you to ramp up your brand!

If you answered, no, I’ve got some earth-shattering news for you. You already have a brand, whether you know it or not. And if you aren’t actively managing it, your brand is most likely working against you, instead of for you. I know, I know. You don’t need one more thing to add to your to-do list. But trust me, personal branding needs to be on your list. If it isn’t, you could quickly lose control of your personal and professional identities and find yourself in the category of wishy-washy has-been.

PostedMarch 2, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Leadership, Networking, Tips, Personal Branding, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsPersonal branding, Leadership, Networking

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While incorporating video into our social strategy has been a major plus, it has been a learning process. There’s nothing like a significant spike in audience engagement to tell you you’re on the right track - or that you’ve been missing the boat in the past. Don’t get me wrong, we are pleased with our results! Our organic audience reach skyrocketed to over 5,000, and our engagement levels were the highest they’ve ever been organically. For a company page with a little over 200 likes, I’d say that’s pretty decent!

But like any new communication strategy, there are a few things we wish we would have done differently. So we’re spilling the beans on what we’ve learned from using video on Facebook in hopes that you can pick up some tips and avoid some of our rookie mistakes.

PostedFebruary 23, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Video, Social media, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsFacebook, Video, Video Tips, Social Media, Youtube

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How many advertisements do you think you come across in a day? A handful? A couple hundred? Try nearly 5,000! Each day you are inundated with thousands of ads and sometimes, you aren’t even aware of it. Companies attempt to gain customers by proving themselves through constant logo appearances, media, and advertisements. But let’s be honest, how well do those ads work on you? Not as well as they used to, right? So how do businesses break through to customers when they are swamped with so many messages?

PostedFebruary 18, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsContent Marketing, Marketing, Writing

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Many business owners want to showcase the products or services their company offers, but aren’t sure how. When you have a variety of offerings, it’s easy to create brochures that have too much information and are not that enticing. What you need is a marketing piece that is focused, easy-to-read, and compelling.

Your business needs a one-sheet (or a series of them!).

Keep reading to find out what exactly a one-sheet is, get the ultimate one-sheet checklist, and learn how you can use this tool productively for your business.

PostedFebruary 9, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBrochures, Content Marketing, Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions, Featured

TagsOne-Sheet, Brochures, Marketing, Small Business Owner

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Today is an exciting day! We are hosting our very first guest bloggers! Allison Spooner and Jesse Flores are sharing with us how business isn’t just business. It’s personal. Their insight is on-point and vitally relevant to our efforts to support our clients in an authentic and valuable way in 2016.

So, who are the writers? Allison is a freelance, content wizard. She writes content that helps businesses in Lansing and beyond tell their stories, educate their customers, and promote their brands. Jesse is a startup junkie and tech enthusiast. His most recent endeavor is launching SuperWebPros, which builds Super Websites with Heroic Service for small businesses. Over the past year, we have enjoyed brainstorming with these two content and business gurus and are confident you will enjoy the insight they have for you.

PostedFebruary 3, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Customer Relations, Trusted Partner, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsCompany Communication, customer relationships, Business Goals, Personalized Business

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In the evolving world of content marketing, we continually need to refine how we communicate with and reach our customers. Here are a few content marketing trends you should consider as you refresh and plan for this year's blog posts, newsletters, and social media campaigns.

1. Sophisticated algorithms will force you to get serious about quality control

If your goal is to reach users with first-page search results this year, then it's about time you ditched the traditional SEO marketing strategy. The truth is, the game has changed. Google algorithms now evaluate content based on its value to readers who are searching for it. The focus on quality content means excessive keyword stuffing and backlinking won’t do you any good.

PostedJanuary 27, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Social Media, Rough Draft Solutions, Video

TagsMarketing trends, Content marketing, Content Marketing Trends, Blogging, Social media

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The purpose of your business’s website is to provide your customers with information about your company’s products, services, and brand, but is that all it should be doing? Your website has the power to entertain, educate, and delight your customers. Your business may be open 9 to 5, but your website is available to the public 24/7. Are you confident it is working for you? The key to ensuring your potential customers understand how you can help them and are interested enough to contact relies on one simple thing. Your website content.

Today we will explore how to write engaging website content that will captivate your customers and impact your business in a positive way.

PostedJanuary 20, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesWebsite content, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions, Strategic Communication

TagsWebsite content, Content marketing, writing

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Before hiring a new employee, there are dozens of factors to consider. Businesses want employees to have a positive attitude, strong loyalty, and compelling creativity. However, it is arguable that the number one asset companies are looking for in candidates is effective communication and writing skills. Why is this so necessary for the job market you may ask? Today, we will explain why your ability to write and communicate effectively in business will never be obsolete.

PostedJanuary 13, 2016

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CategoriesCustomer Relations, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions, Strategic Communication

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Staying on task isn’t exactly every business owners’ strong suit. You may have started your workday with the best of intentions, only to find that by the end of it, you didn’t accomplish anything on your list. And while it’s easy to blame outside distractions for the inability to focus, more times than not, a lack of a solid plan is the number one reason we fail to be productive.

The truth is, the secret to maximizing productivity isn’t complicated. It simply requires that you take a few simple steps to get organized and plan your day effectively.

PostedJanuary 5, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesFood for Thought, To Do Lists, Rough Draft Solutions, Business Leadership

TagsProductivity, Leadership

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One of the most frequent questions I have received in the last 12 months has been “How’s business?” And every time I have been lucky enough to say “Absolutely wonderful.” I have had to pinch myself a lot because I can’t believe the success we’ve had this year is real-life.

PostedDecember 21, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBlogging, Small Business Owner, Rough Draft Solutions, Business Leadership

TagsRough Draft Solutions Team, 2015, Year in Review

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If your business publishes blog posts on a regular basis, then you probably have a well-oiled routine. You put your last period on the end of another great post, hit publish, and reap the benefit of short-lived excitement before it is lost in an archive along with dozens of other posts and is forgotten. Kind of sad, but it’s true, right?

PostedDecember 9, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBlogging, Writing, Video, Blogs, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBlogging Tips, Blogging Lansing, Video, Infographics, Marketing, Quotes

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As an avid writer, you systematically double check your commas, intently review your grammar usage, and triple proofread your content. Once these tasks are complete, what is the next step? There are many similar tips that float around the Internet of how to become better writers and how to improve your editing processes, but what do you do if you want to refine yourself as a writer on a daily basis? Writing clear messages, staying professional, and captivating your readers with descriptive language is a strong start, but how can you make sure your skills are as sharp as possible?

PostedDecember 2, 2015

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CategoriesWriting, Strategic Communication, Tips, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsWriting tips, Small business, Grammar, Professional communication

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Thinking about all we have to be thankful for is a good way to do a reality check and inspire us to tackle the end of the year deadlines with smiles on our faces. This year has been one for the books, and I am humbled by all the wonderful things that have happened. My team has grown from one to three, we have surpassed our strategic goals, and most importantly, we have had the privilege of working with more than 30 talented businesses. In honor of Thanksgiving, we wanted to take a moment to share what we are most thankful for.

PostedNovember 23, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesFood for Thought, Rough Draft Solutions, Interview

TagsThankful, Rough Draft Solutions Team, Interview

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You know the feeling when you get a new outfit and you can’t wait to parade around showing everybody because it gives you the kind of confidence that makes you feel like you can take on the world? Well, that’s kind of how we feel about our new About Us video. Which is why we couldn't be more excited to share it with you!

Here is an inside peek at what goes on at Rough Draft Solutions!

PostedNovember 23, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesTrusted Partner, Video, Rough Draft Solutions, Customer Relations

TagsVideo, Rough Draft Solutions Team, Rough Draft Solutions, Small Business, Lansing Marketing, Lansing Business

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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

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There are countless business articles and blogs circulating the Internet that focus on the clear-cut methods you should follow to reach your goals. They provide a list of steps to take to help your business achieve success. What many businesses don’t talk about, however, are the mistakes they made along the way.

Awhile back, the Business Machine podcast featured Rough Draft Solution's own Amanda Washburn in their series “Learning from Our Mistakes.” Hear the interview for yourself or read on to learn why Rough Draft Solutions was started, what our future looks like, and what mistakes we’ve made along the way. Here is a sneak peek!

PostedNovember 4, 2015

Author

CategoriesInterview, Getting Started, Small Business Owner, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsPodcast Interview, Small Business Owner, Internal communication

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