This post is Part III in a three-part series in which Marcia Hoeck, a dynamic business coach, presents a fresh, effective way to verbally engage with customers and contacts. In Part I , Marcia shares her opinion of elevator speeches (they don’t sound natural, and don’t help people to talk), and introduces us to the…
Category Archives: How to Write Effective Marketing Documents
Why You Need to Ditch Your Elevator Speech – Part II: Talk to the Five-year-old
This post is Part II in a three-part series in which Marcia Hoeck, a dynamic business coach, presents a fresh, effective way to verbally engage with customers and contacts. In Part I , Marcia shares her opinion of elevator speeches (they don’t sound natural, and don’t help people to talk), and introduces us to the…
Why You Need to Ditch Your Elevator Speech – Part I: That’s Interesting, Tell Me More
The Final Draft Communications blog is all about how to put your best word forward in business—in both writing and speaking. Recently, I wrote a post titled How to Elevate Your Elevator Speech. In it, I suggested several ways to improve your elevator speech (an introductory speech brief enough to be delivered during an elevator…
7 Grant Proposal Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make
You know you have a great agency that truly helps your clients and the community. You know there are funders that want to support programs like yours. But, you also know there is fierce competition, and resources are limited, so you need to make your grant proposals shine. Here are seven mistakes you’ll want to…
How to Elevate Your Elevator Speech
An elevator speech is a “commercial” about your company brief enough to deliver during an elevator ride. If you own or represent a business, it is smart to develop such a speech so that you are not at a loss when people ask, “What do you do?” You can also break out your elevator speech…
Your Website Writing Checklist
Last week, I responded to a general request on LinkedIn from a business owner who had just updated his website and wanted feedback on content, design, SEO, and code. What did I look for when reviewing his site for content? And, by extension, what elements should your website copy contain? Clear Message Above all, your…
Tips for Writing a Nonfiction Book
So, you’ve decided to take your writing to the next level with a book. Good for you. A published book can serve as a promotional tool, and advance sales (as well as your perceived expertise). But, writing a book is a big task. Be sure to plan ahead and give some thought to these important…
Writing an E-book to Showcase Your Expertise
E-books can add value to your business in several ways: By establishing your expertise, by drawing viewers to your website, by attracting links to and buzz about your site, and by generating revenue. For best results, your e-book should provide useful, actionable content, and establish trust between you and the reader. Here are some tips…
Blog Content Basics
It’s easy to get caught up in mechanics, the promotion, and the optimization of a business blog. Bloggers can forget that, at its core, blogging is writing, and that writing needs to be the best it can be. In order to build authority, and a readership, remember to add “write well” to your list of…
