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Simplifying Messages: Why SWOT Is Not Enough

BY Richard Becker 

You've heard the old saying and so have I. You can't compare apples and oranges. Yeah, sure. All that is fine and good, unless you happen to be in business. 

 In business, being an apple among apples leaves sales to nothing more than random chance. So, to help distinguish people and products, many agencies invest a good deal of time and client money in developing unique selling points. Sometimes they use SWOT. 

 As a strategic planning method, SWOT can be very useful. Except, it tends to be too introspective. And therefore, it's not enough.

Writing For Public Relations: Simplifying Messages

View more presentations from Rich Becker, Copywrite, Ink..

The above deck is a supplement deck for Writing For Public Relations at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The intent of this deck is to provide students with an understanding of SWOT, but then demonstrate how CORE message systems further help identify people, products, services, and companies in the marketplace. You can find a written comparison between the two here.

Five Tips For Better Blog Posts

By Richard Becker 

Every now and again, I'm asked why do some blogs written by less experienced authors attract more attention than others who have earned their right be experts. More often than not, the reason can be found in the writing. Better writing keeps people engaged. 

Five Elements For Better Writing. 

Accurate. Accuracy matters above all. If the information is wrong, nothing else matters. 

Clear. Clarity is less about the writing than the decision to be understood. 

Concise. Concise writing strives for maximum impact with minimum means. 

Human. Great writing has always been about having a conversation with the reader. 

Conspicuous. Commands attention to draw readers in without being garish or cliche. 

When you par these five with tips from other writers and communicators in "On Writing And Editing" deck, you'll find that many of them are the same, separated only by their presentation.

CFOs See Economic Upturn But Slow Employment

By Richard Becker

According to a fourth quarter survey conducted by Financial Executives International (FEI) and Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, optimism in the economy is coming from what many would consider the least likely source: chief financial officers.

"CFOs overall closed 2009 with a much improved sense of optimism than when it began, but they are realistic about the challenges that still lay ahead," said John Elliott, dean of the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. "CFOs are indicating that they have learned lessons from the downturn and can face the coming year looking forward to the opportunities at hand."

Highlights From The FEI/Baruch Survey.

• Net earnings expected to rise by 22 percent by the third quarter.
• Gross revenue anticipated to grow by 10 percent this year.
• Technology spending anticipated to increase by 6.1 percent.
• Inventory anticipated to increase by 2.5 percent, reversing reductions.
• Prices are expected to increase by 1.13 percent this year.

Where CFOs are more reserved is on employment. Nearly nine out of ten CFOs reported they are looking for efficiencies over new employees. Two-thirds said they would invest in technology; one-third said they planned additional restructuring.

Companies seem hesitant to hire new employes for several reasons, including cost containment (uncertainty of future costs associated with new employees); an increased emphasis on public perception (slower, more manageable growth); a shift from growth-orientation toward leadership-orientation (restructuring to serve a smaller, affluent base); and concerns over the current government administration. Sixty-four percent said the U.S. economic outlook has weakened since Obama took office.

How RiseSmart Is Disrupting Outplacement

By Richard Becker 

When RiseSmart first entered the recruiting industry in 2008, it set its sights on a specific niche. One year later, RiseSmart shifted its business model to include outplacement. The difference between the two places presents a case study in disruptive business. 

RiseSmart is a provider of Web-enabled outplacement and job search services. The former helps laid-off employees find jobs faster. The latter helps professionals find jobs in the $100k market. 

"Our initial thought was that we would need to make significant traction with a B2C offering in order to build interest in the B2B solution," says Sanjay Sathe, founder and CEO of RiseSmart. "But the moment we introduced Transition Concierge in the second half of last year ... we had an extraordinary amount of interest, and were signing up Fortune 500 companies almost immediately." 

Are Recruiters Violating Privacy By Digging Deep?

By Richard Becker 

"Recruiters shouldn’t care about that Facebook picture of your beer pong game in college." — Shel Holtz, ABC, principal of Holtz Communication + Technology.

Holtz calls the increasing shift toward total transparency a cultural transition, spurred on by social media. And, as a consequence, "Animal House [by Millennials] behavior really shouldn’t matter to hiring managers today." 

The communication has sparked an interesting conversation, with Jen Zingheim, Media Bullseye, wondering if "Millenials are perhaps setting themselves up for future problems, because it's hard to put that privacy genie back in the bottle." At the same time, she recognizes that she came from a different era, one that celebrated the separation of professional and personal, work and play.

Prospective Employees Be Warned: Some Employers Search

By Richard Becker 

According to Career News, some employers have taken to the Web to learn more about potential employees. How far have they taken it? 

 Facebook pages and random tagged photos are only the beginning. Some have even looked up where prospects live in order to determine the value of their homes through zillow.com or the local tax assessor. They can tell when the home was purchased, the annual taxes, and if it's for sale. And for good measure, they can visit your home via Google maps.

While some of it is unavoidable, anyone hoping to land a job might think twice about how they act on the Internet.

Here are ten tips that might help bloggers and other social network members.

Abstract Presents Communication Measurement Formula

By Richard Becker

I've been working, on and off, to refine a measurement formula for the better part of two years. My hypothesis was simple: the return on investment is related to the intent of the communication and the outcome it produces. For anyone interested in communication measurement, you can find a link to the abstract, Measure: I | O = ROC, a.k.a. The ROC, on my company's blog.

Why Wired Got It Wrong

By Richard Becker

Ever since Wired magazine saw some success by declaring newspapers dead, it seems to have developed an appetite for declaring everything dead. The latest victims? Blogs. Yep, Paul Boutin says blogs are dead.

Branding Without The Mask

By Richard Becker

"A brand isn't what you say about it, it's what other people say about it." — Linda Eatherton, partner and director of Ketchum's Global Food & Nutrition Practice.

At least that is what Eatherton told Marketing Daily on the heels of a study that reveals: branding lags well behind taste, quality, and price when consumers choose food. While there is no doubt that Eatherton's statement might be music to some people's ears — as it is what many social media experts have been saying for some time — it's also misleading.

Writing haste makes waste

By Richard Becker

"Is it me or does there seem to be an epidemic of illiteracy and/or carelessness in campaign materials this cycle? Candidates who don't know the basic rules of grammar or spelling are legion." — Jon Ralston, Las Vegas Sun

No, Jon, it is not you.