In This Issue Are your marketing materials up to par? Resources New service: website critiques Feedback Central About Cassie Hart

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe, but we've turned over yet another year. I'd like to take a moment to wish you good health, happiness, and a great deal of success with your business during 2005.

This month's feature article was inspired by a project I recently completed for my local Chamber of Commerce. In 2004 the Chamber adopted a new logo and tag line. Shortly after the Board and the Marketing Committee deemed these identity pieces acceptable, the process of revising all marketing and communications materials to incorporate these changes began.

Since an identity overhaul---which was a major undertaking---was already in the works, the Chamber decided it needed to also revise the content in few marketing pieces---a brochure and a flyer---as well.

That's where I came in.

I worked with the Chamber staff to identify the key benefits businesses receive as Chamber members. I also combed through the Chamber's current website and reviewed a great deal of older marketing materials to gain a better understanding of the many opportunities the organization offers its members. Ultimately, we needed to determine which benefits would best act as selling points to potential members. Then I needed to find a way to highlight these items.

The result was copy for a six-panel brochure aimed at potential members. The stand-alone flyer is simply an at-a-glance checklist, outlining why business should consider joining the Chamber. Both pieces are in the design phase now, and we're all very excited to present the finished products to the public in just a few weeks.

Since this revision project is fresh in my mind, I've got to ask: how do your company's marketing materials stack up right now? Is everything streamlined? Will folks recognize your business' identity immediately when your web page is opened or when your brochure lands in the hands of a prospective client? Is your message clear? Are clients encouraged to take some sort of action, ultimately resulting in either new or repeat business?

Even if you're confident that your materials are in check, why not start the New Year off right and take a moment to evaluate the marketing collateral you're using today? You just might notice a thing or two that could ultimately improve your bottom line.

And again, happy New Year!

All the best,

Cassie Hart

www.cassiehartwriter.com

Are your marketing materials up to par?

Every now and then it's a good idea to review existing marketing materials to see where improvements might be made. If the same brochure has been used for many years or if the information on your website is outdated, a bit of revision will rejuvenate tired content---and in turn your business will benefit.

Change is a normal part of business growth. Surely you want company improvements and new products or services to be reflected in your marketing collateral. So how do you know when it's time for an update?

Use the checklist below to see if your current materials are working as effectively as possible for your business. If you answer yes to any of these questions, it may be time to consider updating one or more of your marketing pieces.

- Are you a new business that doesn't yet have any sort of marketing/promotional materials?

- Is your business handing out materials that no longer accurately describe current products, services, or statistics?

- Do your materials fail to communicate your identity? (E.g., does a brochure aimed at business-focused clients look like it's from one company while a brochure aimed at consumer-based clients appears to be from an entirely different source?)

- Has your company recently updated its logo but neglected to incorporate its new identity on existing marketing materials?

- Do internal newsletters lie unopened on your employee's desks due to stale, dull, and poorly written content? Do external newsletters (for customers) fail to initiate any sort of response from recipients?

- Does the company website convince visitors to browse through other pages, or is it so difficult to read and navigate that they leave quickly and click over to a competitor's site instead?

- Have you discovered typos, misspellings, or incorrect information in any of your marketing materials?

- Has your business changed its address, URL, or phone or fax number? Is the old information still present on your current collateral?

The sooner you take a moment to make sure your marketing collateral clearly communicates your business' image, message, and offerings, the sooner your target audience will be prompted to take action to buy your product, use your services, or make a phone call to learn more about how you can help them.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR WRITETIPS SUBSCRIBERS ONLY!

Maybe you're pretty sure your marketing materials are in good shape, but you'd like someone who isn't affiliated with the company to offer an objective point of view. If this is sounds like you, Contact me today! I'll evaluate the piece of your choice---a brochure, website, press release, newsletter, etc---for the effectiveness of its content. If your piece could use a bit of revision, I'll offer some suggestions about how to make improvements. And because I want to help your business to start off right for the new year, I'll do this for FREE during the month of January ONLY. So don't wait, Contact me today!

	Resources
I'm currently in the process of reading a great book by Daniel Pink called Free Agent Nation. Pink takes a look at today's entrepreneurs---now over 30 million--- and discusses who these folks are and why they've decided to make the jump from being bossed to becoming their own bosses. Anyone entertaining the idea of working for herself should definitely check this out. http://www.fr eeagentnation.com

	New service: website critiques
Do you have a website that could use a little TLC, but you're not sure where to start? I've teamed up with a fantastic web designer, Paul Durfee of ABI Technology, and we're now offering comprehensive website critiques. We'll look closely at the design, navigation, usability, and content and organization structure or your site. We'll then provide feedback based on our findings to help you start thinking about the renovation process. We're extending the special introductory rate of just $79.95 through February. And here's even better news: WriteTips subscribers will receive an additional 20% off any critique! Contact me today for more information, or to request your critique today! Next issue (February)--TBA

	Feedback Central
If you've got suggestions or comments about how to make this Ezine even better, I'd love to hear from you. Are the articles useful? Have any of these tips helped with your own writing? Send me an email and let me know how I'm doing!

	About Cassie Hart
Over six years of professional writing experience have allowed me to learn the finer points of writing efficient, effective, and creative copy. Press releases, brochures, newsletters, website content, press kits, and articles are among the many types of marketing and promotional communications I regularly generate for clients. To discuss potential projects not listed here (or to obtain more information about any of those mentioned above) feel free to send me an email. Contact me today for a fr*e estimate on your next writing project!

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