These are common tropes in “new” marketing:

1. Brand yourself
2. Tell a story
3. Make it personal

What do these things even mean? Some swear by it, but when you dig deeper into the meaning and rationale into it, it is just bad fluff. Don’t be mistaken –– the points had value –– but it is lost in a sea of confusion. Misuse has muddied the waters for all of us. What does it mean for anyone looking to sell anything?

Brand Yourself

You better brand yourself before someone does it for you. It is harder to brand a person as opposed to a company. People can change; but companies, for the most part, are static in their values. When you brand yourself there is personal connect, so when it isn’t perfect or there is some contention, it affects you more than it would a company. Yes, people want to get to know you, but you need to set boundaries as to what they should know.

Tell A Story

This is an extension of the first point. You can’t tell a story if you can’t communicate properly. Knowing what and when to say something is just as important as your message. As a marketing professional, you need to understand what is relevant. This isn’t as easy as you might think; there is extensive research that is behind every piece of great marketing.

Make It Personal

This does not mean that you must put forward every bit of personal information. Making it personal is about doing something close to your heart – something you care about. If you don’t have some sort of passion or drive, then your materials will be dull. Adding a personal touch is about sprinkling bits of your personality on something, but also doing it in moderation.

None of these things can be done with tools to help you communicate effectively. The written word is the building block for all forms of content. If you really want to connect with your audience, then you need to master it.

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Are websites dead? It doesn’t seem so when you surf the web. Countless businesses use their precious piece of online real estate. It can serve you well when you own your own website. Yet, there are countless businesses that don’t have their own website. Or worse, there are websites that haven’t been updated.

In a digital age, it sounds strange to have an offline business. Most businesses like that aren’t fully off the grid – they have some social media presence. The most commonly reason for not investing in a website is the cost. That might lead you to wonder if it is possible, or even better, to function without a website. For some businesses, company websites are dead.

Some can argue that social media hosts content and all the information that your customers need to contact you. With some platforms, your customers can shop or book directly through social media. It is easier to drive traffic to your social media than it is to your website and each platform has its own audience: different demographics.

The flexibility a website can give you is tempting, but they are a little more difficult to maintain. How do you direct traffic to your website? The easiest way to do that is to update your website with information that appeals to the ideal customer. It takes some time to figure out who that is and what they like. And then, you have to try and connect their interests to what you do.

That’s not the end of it. You also have to create content and publish it. Publishing needs to be done consistently; you don’t want your readers to see new information every few months. A sporadic timeline can kill loyalty. When you’re done with all of that, you need to market your website. You have to find a way to get people to your website.

This isn’t easy. Communication isn’t easy. Do you have a hard time putting your message out there? Don’t be ashamed to admit that your marketing strategy could use a facelift. After awareness comes action. The right action can get you the results you are looking for. That’s why Azura Labs was created. If your website is dead, then you should think about reviving it.

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We all get nervous. The uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, the haziness in your mind, and the thumping engine in your chest are things we all experience. These symptoms point to one thing: our nerves. It creeps up on us all, regardless of who we are.

Stressful situations have that effect on us. Even with experience, they can overwhelm us. One thing we need to realize is that we tend to overthink situations. Keeping a cool head with an audience watching our every move, or a sharp mind with deadlines approaching, is not easy.

The first thing we need to do is breathe. Take it all in and try to relax. You can’t accomplish anything in a flustered state of mind. Stress is normal; no great thing was ever achieved in absolute peace. Great things are accomplished when we can sort through chaos.

Assess the situation. Our minds tend to over-exaggerate situations. If we can observe the circumstances with no bias, we can eliminate unnecessary details. The exact conditions that surround the task will become much more clearer.

With this newfound clarity, we can create steps to finish what we started. Handling your nerves takes time and the ability to understand that they can get the best of us. Remove additional stress from you circumstances. Instead of focusing and why you haven’t gotten something done, focus on how.

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Creating content for an audience is simple enough if you know what to do. There are two things you need to do to create appropriate material:

1. Make is inclusive
2. Make it a community

The wrong language can alienate sections of your intended demographic. Conducting a comprehensive audience analysis will outline who is reading. Take note of their cultural and social backgrounds. It is easy to overlook these small attributes, but it matters.

Your audience will appreciate efforts made to address them in a way that connects to their core. It shows that you are willing to go the extra mile to connect with them. This a great way to attract and maintain a loyal audience.

Making a community means making content that is relatable to your audience. This is about clarifying your message and encouraging interaction. Interaction can either mean comments, shares, or even likes. Probably the most meaningful interaction is sharing.

When your audience feels like your content is worth distributing to their own network, it is because they see that it adds value.

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Before you start any project, you must at least have a plan. Finding a good medium to host this crucial information. Sometimes, the medium we feel most comfortable with is not as appropriate as we need it to be.

All notes or planning come in two forms: static and dynamic.

Static Information

Static information is fixed. This means that it is permanent or will encounter small changes. In management, this applied to anything based in fact. If you are documenting standard procedures , then it could be fixed information.

If these plans are permanent, then you need a safe place to keep this information stored. Permanent plans are usually the most vital (and should be the most protected.) Written notes and plans are still en vogue fro those who are a little more old fashioned. However, even if there are revisions, you will always have a written copy of the previous notes.

Dynamic Information

Dynamic information is malleable. This is usually the bulk of planning that we do for day-to-day operations. Bulk content like social media posts, blogs and periodic articles all fall into this category. In a quick-paced world, it is best to keep these records digitally.

This means that they can be accessed anywhere, which is important if you have a team or if you work remotely. Things move more quickly now than it ever did before, so being able to make new addition when necessary is important. This is why a digital host is preferred.

Now that you can divide your plans into two sections, you can decide on which media you would attribute to each category. Be sure to keep ease-of-use and efficiency in mind before you make any adjustments.

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When it comes to digital media, what you don’t do is just as important as what you do. Whitespace is the negative space (unmarked spaces) around your work.

You can create the most informative and valuable content, but a bad presentation will make it improper. This is not that you must have an excessively plain layout. A visual break makes everything easier on the eyes. The main problem some face is trying to crowd a lot of information in a small space.

Avoid busyness by diluting the space with something unmarked. Each segment of your piece should have one or two things to focus on. Create a suitable contrast by easing elements next to each other.

Don’t add unnecessary elements. If it adds to your design, then find a place for it. Borders, ornate icons and small letter spacing are things that can look crowded.

Assess what you want to highlight. For most, it is usually a CTA (call to action). Make that the center of your work and add elements around it. When it comes to design, simplicity is the best way to go. Cleanness makes your work look impressive because viewers can interact with it easily.

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Marketing isn’t what it used to be. With the prominence of the Internet, we have more tools than we ever did. More importantly, we have the ability to reach practically anyone.

Even with the push for digital media. There are a few things that we tend to overlook when we want to communicate with our audience.

Digital Business Card

The new paperless version is a lot more handy than keeping a small stack of paper around with you. If you ever run into someone you know that you can easily send it to them. There are many way to go about making one. A stylish image with all of your contact information is the most simple way to create one. More elaborate ones include QR codes and in-depth information.

Guides

You have a lot of leeway as to how you want to present this. It could be a blog post, a page on a website or a downloadable file. This is the digital replacement to pamphlets. The purpose of these guides is to give your audience some information and direct them to your services.

Email Signatures

This is the digital version of a letterhead. You probably send more emails than you write letters, so this is an easy way to get your foot in the door without being too obvious. Not everyone you send an email to will need your service or buy your product, but it will get the word around.

Hashtag Portfolio

Not everyone can carry around a physical portfolio of their work. In fact, most websites double as a portfolio. However, don’t be scared to showcase your work on social media. The best way to do this is to create a space on your social media to organize your work. All you need to do is create very unique hashtag that connects your work together. After, you can just share the hashtag.

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Time management is one aspect of life and business that everyone needs to improve on. Life eventually gets too hectic. It doesn’t matter what media you use, if you want to create something lasting, then creating plans can alleviate imbalances.

Your ideas will develop over time.

Planning allows you to look at the bigger picture. Instead of taking things one step at a time, you get to see how your cumulative efforts will affect you. This allows you to reinforce ideas and develop better strategies. Well-planned editorial content will appear more cohesive than something done at moment’s notice.

You will know what works.

Instead of playing by ear, you’ll be able to examine what you have done and what works best. Better yet, you will be able to improve on the things you do. Now that you’re ideas are developed and coherent, you can see what appeals to your audience.

You will save time.

Time is money. Unlike money, you can’t get it back. Being efficient means getting more out of the time you work. Spending a little more time now (and a little more effort) into creating detailed plans will help you in the long run. You won’t have to worry about creating to publish. Having a content bank will provide a safety net for you.

You will put your best face forward.

Bad content doesn’t get you anywhere. It hurts you more than it helps you. A good plan is structured enough to help you to create for your audience. People like to be heard. When your audience sees that you cater to their needs, they will remain loyal. Putting your best face forward keeps you ahead of the rest.

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Why is writing style important? It forms the basic structure of the tone and context in which you write. Each style has characteristics that allow you to achieve what you want from your readers.

Expository Writing

Expository writing is explanative writing. Typically, it is an unbiased piece with relevant facts. It is extremely common as you encounter it in many how-to articles and instructional materials. This is best formatted in a logical sequence as you might find in a textbook or educational source.

While is common in technical fields, expository pieces do not have to be boring. Have you ever read a gripping news story (that isn’t an opinion piece)? Written reports use this style of writing as it is supposed to present evidence fairly. However, if the evidence supports an opinion, it is not an expository piece.

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing can be considered as the opposite of expository writing. Even when there is supporting evidence, it is to steer the reader into the direction the writer wants. It is neither instructional nor unbiased.

It is most commonly used in advertising copies, marketing material, opinion pieces and applications. Good persuasive writing has a balance between solid arguments and opinion. It should not scold or force the readers to agree with the opinions of the writer. Instead, it should enforce subtle coercion.

Descriptive Writing

A description is supposed to be detailed, but not too flowery. This style of writing is best suited for literary work. In pieces that employ its use, it must appeal to the senses of the reader. Figurative language is appropriate and used liberally.

Poetry, fiction and even introspective pieces, like journal entries, are usually written in this style.

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing is different from the others in that is has a plot. This doesn’t mean that the other forms do not have a structure. This means that narratives must have a story. A story has characters, settings and events that unfold.

Irrespective of which tense it is written in, narrative writing must show the reader something that is unfolding. The piece must show a developing process. In this process, it must have a beginning, middle and end. It does not necessarily have to feature dialogue, but is usually does. It is most commonly used for novels, novellas, stories, biographies and anecdotes.

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