Exercise: Where does your curiosity take you first?

Diane is putting together a Speaker 1 Sheet and we are building that visual resume.
This exercise is meant only see where the eye wishes to go first. No other design elements, fonts etc. have any bearing on what the actual graphic designer will do.

My design theory is that the reader's eye will be most curious about the design with more pictures - up to a point.

The buyer will look into the eyes and capture the essence of the speaker. The speaker is shown doing the actions that speakers do - there is no wannabe thing going on. The text will support the buyers decision to hire which was made by looking at the action shots.

That's the theory. Single head shots or full body shots are just too common. Show your self in action.
It is that step between a static, single head shot and an expensive, full blown video that will set Diane apart.

Text is in an important and supportive role.

Ghost Post - a recent email blast.

Bill Rush, of Rush Tech, needs to focus on his core Tech. And he also knows he needs to stay in front of his clients. I write email blasts for him. Here's the latest.

He decided we should say something about productivity. I am glad he brought it up. Two minds are better than one and his name is on the email.


=====

A friend of mine was having neck pain. It had gotten so bad as to be interrupting his sleep at night. Rolling over had gotten to be a major undertaking.

He went to the chiropractor for an X-ray and was told that there was some disk compression and he needed traction in two directions to bring it back into alignment.

He started a 16-session course of action only to be alerted by his insurance that this did not seem to be anything but maintenance and further paid care was denied. And the appeal was denied. The additional out-of-pocket cost was nearly $500 and remains prioritized somewhere down on the budget list.

He finally wondered about his day long working posture and did a little research. With a few small adjustments to the height of his keyboard, monitor and desk, the pain rapidly subsided. He did not even need to purchase a new chair. He now takes more short breaks during the work day to get up and move about the room.

It’s a new year with a new deductible. There’s hope again.

Start here:
http://ergonomics.about.com/od/office/ss/computer_setup_4.htm
or search on these and similar terms - how to ergonomic posture.

Take better care of yourselves. Put this near the top of your list of new things for the new year.

Happy New Year, friends.

Bill Rush
Rush Tech


###

Contact David @ YourMessageDoctor@gmail.com or 414-282-7185

I can help you stay in front of your clients.

Fasscars

I recently popped up a blog for my car guy - on spec.

Tell Ralph I sent you for your next used car.

He might get the value idea.

fasscars.blogspot.com

Deadlines

We'd started working on this earlier but he thought he could sub-let the ad space. That fell through.

The deadline was yesterday. I got the call to help with text - yesterday. And we got it out this afternoon.

Rush job on an ad for a builders directory this morning. The photo was already done. I put the words together with some fine help from the builder.

I really like writing copy when there's a picture. That helps tell the story.


Actually I did the layout design, too.

Where does your eye travel first? Second?

THIS IS A DRAFT. Click to enlarge photo.

Joyfully Jobless? Madison worshops.
Time is short. Seats are limited. Sign up here.

http://joyfullyjobless.com/madison.html

http://www.careerlifecoaching.com






Dee and I are inviting people to a wonderful couple workshops coming up. I did this quickie, rough draft of design changes to her front page in order to show her how people read and click through.

Your Message Doctor is not limited to words.
Let's do better work and have more fun.

P.S.
This draft was mostly done with screen shots opened into a page in Illustrator. The yellow box/text was added in Illustrator, and another screen shot was taken. Then, the Before and After were lined up for a final shot.

A brand new classified ad

The top paragraph is what Peter was using, but the phone wasn’t ringing as much as he thought it should be. We talked about taking out the CAPS, phone number placement, and adding value item by item.

The new ad, including the Q and A emails, took less than an hour. I asked him to tell me as soon as the phone rings. I can probably prescribe something for you, too.

Original ad
_________________________
Computer repair for $90 or LESS?
That’s right. Here at RandomPCRepair.com my goal is to give you an affordable, honest solution to those ridiculously high prices you’ll pay elsewhere. YOU WON’T PAY MORE THAN $90! THAT’S NOT PER HOUR, THAT’S THE TOTAL PRICE YOU PAY FOR LABOR. I WILL take care of you and give you the courteous service you deserve and I guarantee my work. If it has viruses or spyware I WILL remove it and advise you on how to keep it from reoccurring! And my labor is only UP TO $90. If it needs parts it’s UP TO $90 + parts. NO MATTER WHAT THE PROBLEM IS IT WILL NEVER COST YOU MORE THAN $90. Check out my website at RandomPCRepair.com! I also offer FREE PICK-UP SERVICE. NO TRIP CHARGE! Or you can drop it off. I serve Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties. Call me at (414)208-4150, email me at Peter@RandomPCRepair.com or visit me at my website: RandomPCRepair.com

###

A new prescription.
_________________________

Computer repair, clean and defrag for $90 or less? Free pickup and delivery for Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties. Call 414-208-4150. A clean, defragged drive almost always runs faster. We include removal of viruses and spyware with hard drive back up and system restore, if necessary. Memory upgrades, system upgrades, hardware replacement, or any other parts are quoted and approved by you before we proceed. A full report of work is included along with my guarantee. If I can’t fix it you don’t pay. Maximum labor cost is only $90 and parts, if needed, are at cost. Call 414-208-4150, email: peter@randompcrepair.com or visit: www. RandomPCRepair.Com

###

Think, then write

My wife and I have been square dancing for a half dozen years or so now. Somehow, I cannot keep my mouth shut in the meetings. So, I end up volunteered.

The President wants to retire. No one is stepping up. I do not want it. I would rather spend my time writing to you. Here.

So, I thought we might take a peek at the duties and see if they could be shared.

The writing of the club guidelines has gone on for nearly forty years. They were recently re-written, as they have been for years, with a lot of copy and paste in the mix. When we take them apart and examine the duties we see that there might be some space for edits and alterations. New policies and processes.

This is what writing is about. Thinking first, then writing.
If you need some help thinking, editing, and writing, please call David at 800-642-9050. If you don't call soon I might have to be the club president. Please hurry.

The Katie Felten Media Kit

This is not a media kit. However, Katie and I were talking about the idea that she have something at the ready. She's co-teaching a class at Alverno and their media folks got a call from the biz editor at the paper and they needed some words. She did not have time. She called me. We chatted over the phone. I wrote up this little draft. Hopefully, there is sufficient value here to get the project through the turnstile.

---
People and gadgets. How can they not go together? Ms. Felten signed up as a Linkedin user in mid-2006 and saw a great tool for connecting people. She talked to friends informally, started a networking group that turned into the LLC known as MKELive.com. This is her conversation. She has raised herself to expert level organically; simply by talking about it.

She hosts a monthly Linkedin 101 training for individuals, has recently started corporate training sessions and will be expanding her expertise into other social media tools like Twitter and YouTube.

She speaks at networking groups, Chambers of Commerce and conferences.

How to leverage technology to make better connections? This is the Katie Felten question.

Sample Signature

Here's the guy's current email signature.
Honest, Very Affordable, Automotive, Computer and Handyman Services….Period.

I would say ...

Automotive, Computer and Handyman Services -
Honest. Affordable. Period.

OR ... I might like to see it like this:

Automotive, Computer and Handyman Services -
Affordable. Honest. Period.

___________________________________

This was a little freebie for a new guy in the network group.
He liked the second one better. Me too.
Sometimes it's just a nuance thing.
Sometimes it makes the message loud and clear.

Proofreading and editing blog posts

Sandy Walden writes. And she feels she needs a fresh set of eyes to look over her stuff.

It takes some of the pressure off. I'm glad I can be here to help.
She wrote it all and I made a few comments.

Here's our first work together. Simple. Just a few minutes. It helps.
Click on it to read the sample.

She also coaches. Call her. You can feel better, too.

Serenity Life Coaching
Sandy Walden
www.SandyWalden.com
(414) 378-8764

Like This

Sometimes, before we start writing, we need to have a plan. And getting that out onto paper is something I can assist with. Katie and I sat and talked big plans. After while what needs to be known and done next begins to emerge. Now, we have created lists. There are questions to ask. There are items to prioritize. We're getting there. It takes sitting down and talking.

It starts like this ......

Lorum Ipsum - a sample of Track Changes

Often I find myself most useful in the initial brainstorm and then the clean up afterwards. In other words, we can hammer out your latest idea and I can shine it up.

With Track Changes feature in MS Word you get to see what you wrote and what I changed. You can agree or not. It's your message. We can send these files back and forth until we have chosen just the right text for your purpose.

Proof and Edit Mark Up

I have offered a free peek at a potential client's business text as an introduction to my services. Rather than spend time editing I would take a screen shot and highlight it in Photoshop. If they saw that they could make a better impression without too much work they might put me to the task. It was the best idea I had at the time. The picture is an example of what it could look like.

One of the problems is not using actual typo markup - which both parties need to know in order for it to be effective. The problem with the pink dots is that they can mean anything and everything. The pink dots require a story to be told verbally or written down. Might as well just do the editing then.

I am pleased to say that I have found a better tool with the MS Word feature called Track Changes. I've used Macs forever and had not thought to look into Word. I only bought it in order to open attachments from PC users. Sometimes it takes a while to get to a new place.

Quick edits - How it works .....

M. K. needs a quick turn around on handwritten, special invitation text that gets and inserted with the printed invitation itself.
Happy to be of service.

Here are my edits in red and his emailed draft below.


It would be my greatest honor for you be my guest at this special event. I had your best interest in mind as your home inspector and now I want to show you how a 30 year mortgage can be paid in 10 years; legally and without changing your minimum monthly payment.
I’m doing it and so can you. You have to see it to believe it.

Please RSVP soon. Seats are filling fast.
Sincerely,
M. K.


And here's his draft.
-----------------
As your home inspector, I always have your best interest in mind when it comes to your biggest asset, your home. I am sending this special invitation to an event that is changing my life positively. 17 months ago I purchased a system told me I could pay my $136K 6.5% 30 year mortgage in 8.5 years without changing my minimum monthly mortgage payment. To this day, this is 100% TRUE.
It would be my greatest honor for you be my guest at this special event presented by the co-founder to see how a 30 year mortgage can be paid in 10 years.

Please RSVP seating limited.
Sincerely,
M. K.

------------------

Thanks, M. K. Glad I could help.

Snow Flyer V.2

We needed another version of the copy for mail order rather than church collection plate. After a little thinking about all the info we needed to gather, we came up with this.
Click here for printable version. http://tinyurl.com/6l3f6g

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Sample Sponsor Endorsements

Roger of VSG wanted a few more testimonials. He said "Pretend you're Klement sausage and you're working with Miller Park."

So, I wrote up some samples for him to approve or edit. I guess it's up to him to find who the citations actually belong to. I'll keep you in the loop.


“I wouldn’t have thought it. Sponsoring the AirHogs at QuikTrip Park has been one of the best local partnerships we’ve taken on in a long time. A great value.”

“Sponsoring the AirHogs has enhanced our image in the community. We’re rooting for their team now and I’m glad we got the chance.”

“People do business with people they know. And being a sponsor at QuikTrip Park puts us on the same team. We can feel it. Go AirHogs.”

We Put Fans in Stands

Tom Egan of Egan New Media introduced me to Roger of Ventura Sports Group. I really liked writing for Roger. He knew exactly what he wanted to say. When we wrote the testimonials he knew what he wanted to City Developer to say. And that was different from what the Field Manager or the General Contractor would say.

Roger puts the whole thing together from the bare ground to the baseball game. And while he is less concerned about fans than the individual teams are, I gave him the idea that what he does could be said like this: "We put fans in stands."

That's all mine and I am pleased to say so.

P.S. While I may have written the testimonials, it is my understanding that the individual persons authorized the use of their names and agreed to the statements.

Copywriting - General Services Brochure

Version 1.0 of my general services brochure.
I'll have to link up a PDF for you. Not today.
I think you can read my writing if you click it.

Through Process to Product

I recently gave a short presentation to a B2B Networking group.

I wanted to give a brief idea about what I do and use the remaining time for more questions and answers than is customary.

So, I spent some time in the clip art looking for a way to tell a story. Seems reasonably well received and I am still getting feedback. Click the image and get the whole, colorful story.

You can see whay I am not a graphic designer. Actually, it might have worked better with more time and space. Another week and the 11 x 17" tabloid sheet and it might have been something to talk about. Ah, well ....

Through Process to Product - Side Two

I took a couple screen shots of some copy I did for Ventura Sports Group.
I wrote the testimonials and the operator and developer pages on the site.
http://www.venturasports.net