Blogfeeder - The Copywriting and Marketing Blog from Wordfeeder.com

Graphical - Is This a Word?

Lately, every time I venture out in the world of website design, blog development and branding, I come across this new word that I've never seen before. Graphical.

"Let's revisit the graphical elements in this piece."

This makes me giggle. Hee hee, another made-up word from CorporateLand. I wonder who was the first to coin this variation. Maybe the same guy who turned the term "verbiage?"

I'll tell you why "graphical" doesn't make much sense. In the sample above, it's used as an adjective. Graphical elements.

But we already have a word for that purpose. It's just graphic. Remember... graphic design? The web and this world are teeming with graphic designers. But as yet, no one's heard of a graphical designer. Give it time, though. Give it time.

If my copywriting client insisted on changing "graphic" to "graphical" in his or her marketing piece, would I make a big fuss about it? Nahh. I'm not here to split hairs, I'm here to get the work done. Graphical is accepted, therefore permissible. But silly? Why yes, this is a silly word. I would not select this word to use in my copywriting work, no.

Another goofy word: signage. When I worked for The Man, I spent many years helping graphic designers (not graphical designers) write, edit, and proofread the signage.

Or is it just signs? Hmmmm?

I gotta get me some new graphical signage for my Wordfeeder.com website.

;)

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

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Comma, Period and Space Rant

This morning I feel super ranty. I've decided to take my aggression out on the people who don't have enough sense to put a space after periods and commas.

HOW can you put up a so-called *professional* website, and then litter the entire thing with spacing errors? This is a pretty basic rule of Typing 101. Type a period OR comma, tap the space bar with your thumb. In the "old days" (when I was in high school), we were taught to tap the space bar TWO TIMES after a period.

Even if you were raised by a pack of wolves and ended up getting thrown into modern civilization in your adult life, it's still not too hard to figure out. Look at everyone else's website copy. Then look at YOUR copy.

Something"off" about yours,right?Something wrong here,no?Looks funny?

Oh, that would be the lack of a SPACE after every comma, period or other punctuation.

The trouble comes when such people email me asking me to work on their copywriting. It makes me wonder... would a person who is incapable of typing a space after a period have the ability to write a check and put it in the mail without messing up some part of the process? My guess is NO.

In my humble opinion, it's better to put up a web page that says "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" or "CONTENT TO COME" than to publish one that's rife with stupid errors.

One of my friends and I like to joke that we wish we were big black ladies... because big black ladies always know how to say what's on their mind. So, here's what's on my mind:

WHY YOU GOTTA BE A DAMN FOOL, LEAVING OUT THE SPACES AFTER YOUR COMMAS??

This rant was brought to you by Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

All Full Up on the Writing the Copy

I went to a wedding this weekend where it was quite evident that the photographer loved his job, and the deejay did not.

How could I tell this was the case? The photographer and his crew showed up early. He was pleasant, polite, and took great care in his work. If the sun was in the wrong spot, he moved the subject(s) to a different location. If the bride had an idea for a creative shot, he did his best to capture the moment to her liking. At the wedding reception, he was present for all the action, yet "invisible" to the partygoers. All of these details showed that he loved what he did for a living. I know that my friend's wedding day photos will turn out fabulous.

The deejay on the other hand... not so terrific. A friend and I went up to the deejay with specific requests, and he blatantly lied to us that he'd play the songs we asked for. He also handed us each a packet of CD's with artists who I'll be darned if I've ever heard of, suggesting we choose from that grouping. It appeared that he must have received this compilation packet as a freebie from BMG music club or something. We shook our heads and handed him back his pile of crappy no-name dance tunes.

I have more, but perhaps I'll save my rant for another day. A better thought: why am I talking about this? To point out how essential it is to choose a professional who truly loves what he or she does for a living.

 

At Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing, we take great care and pride in the work we do for you. We passionately throw ourselves into writing articles, web content, brochures and sales letters that show our clients in the best light possible. If a client isn't satisfied with what we present to them, we find out exactly what they do want, happily take back the draft and set to producing something more in line with their needs.

When we complete a project, we sit back with our hands clasped behind our heads, smiling satisfied smiles as though we've just finished feasting on a big, delicious meal. For those whose hearts are truly in the art of writing ad copy know what it's like to be "all full up" on having done your best for the client.

I've written variations of this one line, for more clients than I can count. It goes something like "We are deeply committed to providing the highest level of care to our customers."

So many companies want to include that sentiment because it's true. They delight in their work as much as I do. For most customers, getting a finished product that's of the highest quality possible, is of the utmost importance.

Do you care about doing a terrific job, because you live to do what you do, and it pleases you to please your customers? Because if you do... then Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing, knows exactly where you're coming from.

Find out what it's like to have an impassioned copywriter taking care of your marketing needs.

Acting Out

I guess this is *somewhat* related to copywriting. Today I'm going to let myself enjoy a little rant over "acting out" vs. "acting up."

When did acting out become the way to describe a kid (adult, celebrity, dog, whatever) who's throwing a tantrum and generally misbehaving? In my day, kids who did such things were described as "acting up."

Who coined this deviation of terminology, and I ask you, was it really worth all the effort of having to convert everybody? Are they trying to say that acting OUT better describes the act of relaying one's feelings? As in, "Look at that little boy Paris Hilton rolling around on the floor and screaming. He She is acting out his her frustration over the situation."

Because to me, that description almost validates unreasonable behavior, and god knows that people who are acting out, acting up, or whatever you like to call it, don't need to be encouraged.

I guess if you opt to such a term in your website copywriting (mis)adventures, you'll be expected to say "acting out" and not "acting up." Because if you use the latter, you're dating yourself and therefore just not hip, cool or with it.

I don't know. But when I see the phrase "acting out" in print, for some reason it makes me want to pout and stomp around and throw myself on the floor and pound my fists and hold my breath until my face turns blue.

Just kidding. :P

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

From Good to Great Copywriting

I just came across this headline in my Googlings:

Work your passion at Orlando Culinary Academy

A Le Cordon Bleu affiliated Culinary School in Orlando, Florida

Want to know what's wrong with it?

"Le Cordon Bleu" is the name of an educational institution. Yet, there is no differentiating type treatment. You could italicize "Le Cordon Bleu." Or, you might chose to change the color. I guess quotes would work too, as I have done, although I don't know if that would be the most *grammatically correct* way of doing this.

The way that it looks now, your mind reads "A Le Cordon Bleu" as one grouping. That just looks weird if you look at it fast... like, what is that, French?

While we're at it, "Le Cordon Bleu-affiliated" (with a hyphen) is probably the best way to communicate that. It just translates much faster, and you don't have to sit there wondering what you just read.

Yes, little things DO mean a lot in the world of copywriting and marketing.

One Shopping Cart, Are You Listening?

I've noticed that on the internet, people "listen" a lot more closely when you talk ABOUT them, rather than talk TO them. So, let's talk about 1ShoppingCart.com. Hee hee.

Every time their eager sales team sends me another email, whether it's about a new feature, an update on their affiliate program, an "important notice" that is being delivered by video, or whatever new thing the president's wife is selling...

the email comes from YET ANOTHER unfamiliar sounding email address.

Never just "1Shoppingcart Customer Support" or "1ShoppingCartAffiliates" or something easily identifiable that would "sort" in my inbox nicely. Truth be told, half the time I get any email related to the topic of shopping carts or payouts, I don't open it because "who knows who that really is." And yeah, I know I can go digging under the code to peep at the IP, but what, I'm sitting here like some spam guard dog, salivating at the possibility of another spoof email coming in? I don't think so.

So, here is my friendly advice to the good folks at 1shoppingcart.com. I know that you try hard to stay on top of your game. You seem like nice enough people. So please do me and your other loyal customers this one favor: coordinate your email campaigns so that I will be able to recognize you easily when you burst onto the scene on another harrowing day in Wordfeeder World.

The other thing that would really help me is if you can somehow get the onslaught of "form spammers" off my back. I'm getting tired of receiving notifications every time "rolex replica," "britney" and "bush" drop another mention of their stupid spam blog URLs by my ezine form. Man, wish I could crack THAT code.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Somehow I just know this is going to work better than sending an email to customer support.

:)

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing (still a KickstartCart.com/1shoppingcart.com  customer)

*UPDATE TO THIS POST: March 3. Today I received a commission payout alert from... guess who...  KICKSTARTCART.COM! Yes, I was able to figure out exactly who had sent the email without digging in the code. THANK YOU! For those who may be confused, Kickstart is a 1shoppingcart.com brand. Even though I signed up for my ezine service at KickstartCart.com, they're one and the same - my service comes from 1shoppingcart.

I Eat Serial Commas for Breakfast.

My dear friend Ann Zuccardy of Vermont Shortbread Company has asked about my thoughts on serial commas. Don't laugh... when I first heard Ann use the term "serial comma" I thought that she was referring to some overly-comma-obsessed, grammar-guide-wielding psychopath who spent his entire life searching for opportunities to insert commas regardless of whether they were actually needed.

In time, I realized that Ann was referring to the use of the LAST COMMA in a SERIES! And I call myself a copywriting expert... harrumph!

For the uninitiated, a serial comma would appear (or not appear) in a sentence like this:

My favorite holidays are Christmas, Easter, and Independence Day.

I'm sorry to say that 12 years of writing print advertising materials has caused me to divorce that last comma in the series.

I admit, the serial comma was with me through my elementary years and even through numerous college papers and fiction writing assignments. I hung on to the little guy for as long as I could. But as a copywriting and marketing professional, I've spent too much of my life trying to fit every product detail and benefit into a too-small space - and truth be told, I RESENT the serial comma for causing me space issues and conflict with my fellow coworkers. I have no room left for frivolous liberties like the last (omittable) comma in the series, AND the second space after a period (one space will do just fine, thanks). Much like New Jersey, the print and web advertising world is far too crammed.

So, sorry Ann, but this copywriting and marketing chick must leave the serial comma by the wayside. It is how the Marketing World trained me and it is now all that I know. Instead of putting them in my brochures, print ads, web copy, articles and so forth, I save all the serial commas to be stored in a cardboard box and eventually poured into a bowl and eaten, with milk.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Spelling: Everyday, or Every Day?

The Copy Chick has a pet peeve about the word "everyday." Every day, I encounter a new misuse of this word. (Did you notice how I spelled it as two words in that particular instance?)

This morning I went to have my usual spot of Lipton tea, when the following jumped off the box at me:

"Want to live better everyday? Then drink more Lipton Tea!"

Nooo... that's wrong! In that sentence, "every day" is TWO WORDS.

Here is the difference. If you use "every day" as an adjective, then it's one word. Example:

I'm wearing my everyday outfit.

If you're using every as an adjective modifying day, then it's TWO words.

I walk down this street every day.

Having come from a retail copywriting background, I can't tell you how many times I have tried to explain this to other copywriters TO NO AVAIL. You can say "Everyday savings," but you shouldn't say, "Savings everyday." It's "savings, every day!" Am I making sense here?

You don't spell it "everynight," do you?

Dina at Wordfeeder Copywriting and Marketing

Free advice on how to format your web copy documents

I guess some people have a mental block when it comes to web content versus print. I frequently receive web articles that people want me to edit, where there are indents used at the start of each new paragraph, where titles are centered and other fun things. So I edit everything flush-left, and what happens but I get them back formatted again. Even after I make my annoying speech about how centered titles and indents look weird on web pages.

I just want to put the word out to the uninitiated: there are no indents on the web. You can add them, but you will look silly if you do.

Also, please refrain from adding two spaces after every period. You'll save yourself a lot of space if you lose the extra space.

Finally, please take care to press return, not one, but TWO TIMES, after each paragraph and after each section title.

If you don't believe me, go visit http://PRWeb.com and take a gander at any one of the millions of web press releases posted each day. Tell me how many of them contain centered titles and indented paragraphs. Answer: none of them! And if anyone should be picky about article formatting, it's those PR gurus... they have a process and procedure for everything!

Your fastidious copywriting and marketing consultant,

Dina at Wordfeeder.com

Create, or Actualize? A Copywriter's Ongoing Battle

I have been writing copy for more than 12 years. Hence, I'm pretty used to clients watering down my word choices and replacing them with weaker versions of what I used in their initial drafts. However, just because I'm "used to it," doesn't make it right.

When I was just a copywriting and marketing youngster with high ideals and lofty aspirations, this bothered the living heck out of me. But honestly I'm almost at the point of total ambivalence now. (Hey, I said almost  - ;)).

I'm working with yet another client for whom powerful language feels uncomfortable. And I think what my clients don't get, is that this is in print, and not words coming out of their mouths.

If you ask me for copy that stands out in the crowd, then that's what you're going to get. And if you ask me to take out the punch, then, OK, I'll take it out if you continue to argue my point. But if I do that just to appease you, then don't wonder why in the end your copy is still ho-hum like everyone else's.

When you stand up and give a speech, you can make an otherwise meek sentence sound powerful and commanding by the inflection in your voice. You can scream it, you can whisper it, you can pound your fist, you can gesture emphatically, you can open your eyes wide, you can clamp your lips into a thin little line, you can give yourself a hug, or whatever. Body language has the power to take two little pipsqueak words like "great people!" and run them through the electric current that is YOU.

But website copy isn't able to "cheat" using body language. So, when my clients take my copy and replaces words like empowering with "effective", actualize with "create," strive toward a goal with "achieve a goal," then we're back to square one: mediocre copy that doesn't do a thing to increase interest or bring in more sales.

And the cycle continues.

*sigh*

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